Preparation Instructions for Anesthesia Sedation
We are committed to helping you look and feel great as quickly as possible after a procedure. Here’s what to expect, depending on your treatment.
POST OPERATIVE VISITS
If you had general anesthesia, your first postoperative visit is the day after surgery, with your next visit 7-12 days post surgery. For procedures done in the office with local anesthesia and/or Xanax, your first postoperative visit will be 7-12 days post surgery. Additional visits will be scheduled as necessary for up to 18 months.
RECOVERY
You should plan for one to two weeks of private time to recover. We recommend not scheduling any social or professional engagements. This doesn’t mean you will be housebound; though if you choose to be, that is fine!
Most people return to work in about a week after eyelid surgery. After rhinoplasty or CO2 laser skin resurfacing, plan on returning in about 10 days. If you have a facelift, please give yourself two weeks before returning to work. It is always best to plan for more time away and return earlier if your recovery is going better than expected.
EXERCISE
It is important to stay active during your recovery but not to overdo it. As a general guideline, you are encouraged to walk immediately, but do not work up a sweat for at least two weeks following your procedure. Avoid lifting anything more than 10 pounds. Starting postoperative day 15, you may increase lifting to 20 pounds and add non-impact aerobic exercise, such as Stairmaster, stationary bike or elliptical. Starting day 21, you may jog and swim. If you had a facelift, it is important that you avoid lifting or sharply turning your head and neck for six weeks. Once you return for your six week postoperative visit, assuming all is healing well, you will be cleared for unrestricted activity. Regardless of these guidelines, listen to your body. If it hurts stop!
MAKEUP APPLICATION
In most cases, makeup may be applied to incisions 48 hours after suture removal. For skin that has been treated with a CO2 laser, most patients are ready for make-up 10 days after the procedure. We offer aloe-based, hypoallergenic makeup that we custom match to your natural skin coloring. Our aestheticians are trained in the art of camouflage makeup and are here to assist you during your recovery.
SUN AVOIDANCE
Sun avoidance is essential to prevent additional skin injury and to reduce the risk of scar darkening (hyperpigmentation). In the case of skin that has been treated with a CO2 laser, you MUST diligently avoid the sun, and starting two weeks after your procedure, protect your skin with a broad-spectrum, hypoallergenic, SPF 30 or greater sun block, such as Elite Sunblock by Marietta Derm Essentials, until your skin is no longer pink.
EMOTIONAL EXPECTATIONS
During the first two to four weeks following surgery, a generalized sense of melancholy is quite common. Since you were feeling well before surgery and now you are uncomfortable, have incisions that need to heal, are swollen and are generally not yet looking or feeling your best, many patients question their decision to have had aesthetic surgery. Let me reassure you that this is quite normal and as you begin to feel better physically, your emotional state will also improve.
Don’t expect family and friends to comment on your aesthetic improvements. As a rule, people are busy with their own lives and aren’t necessarily tuned in to the details of your appearance or to the fact that you may need reassurance that you made the right decision to have aesthetic facial surgery. Remember that you did the surgery for your own personal reasons, and it is you alone who must appreciate the aesthetic improvements and feel satisfied with the results.
NON-SURGICAL PROCEDURES
If you were treated with either Botox® or injectable fillers, we will provide you with written post-treatment instructions at the time of your visit. If you received Botox®, you may notice small bumps under the skin at the injection sites, which are caused by the fluid injected. These usually dissipate within an hour. Botox starts to work two to three days after injection and becomes more effective up to about 10 days after injection.
