Being well-prepared for surgery will help make recovery easier.
Though getting a facelift is not considered major surgery, it is still a surgical procedure that a patient needs to prepare herself for. By preparing for the facelift surgery, you can recover more easily than if you had jumped in unprepared. Always request pre-operation instructions and guides from your surgeon's office to ensure that you are fully prepared for your facelift surgery.
Instructions
1. Quit nicotine at least two weeks before the surgery.
Quit smoking all nicotine at least two weeks prior to your surgery. Quit items that include cigarettes, nicotine gum and nicotine patches. Smoking can hinder your recovery and therefore, for optimum recovery results, a patient should quit at least six weeks prior to the surgery, according to OnlineSurgery.com experts.
2. Quit aspirin at least one week prior to surgery.
Avoid aspirin in the week before your surgery. Certain doses of aspirin can thin the blood, which can cause complications during surgery.
3. Control high blood pressure and hypertension. Consult your physician if you suffer from high blood pressure to get on the proper medication to control it. High blood pressure and hypertension can cause complications during surgery and heavier bruising on the face after the surgery, according to Danya Hoenig at Beauty Surge.
4. Dye your hair at least one week prior to your surgery if you dye your hair already. Patients will not be able to dye their hair for several weeks after surgery.
5. Fill your refrigerator, and stock up on prescriptions and other household items you will need, one week prior to the surgery. Stock up on frozen dinners and easy-cook meals to get you by the first week or so. Fill all prescriptions that you will need to take after the surgery prior to admittance.
6. Purchase comfort items the week of your surgery. Buy a comfortable pillow that will allow you to sleep comfortably at night the first few weeks following surgery. Stock your freezer with cold packs for your facial swelling. Buy hats and sunglasses to wear outside the first week after surgery.
7. Arrange transportation for the day of the surgery and the week after. Request family or friends to pick you up from the hospital and take you home. Also, arrange transport for the week after surgery for errands and follow-up appointments. Make arrangements for pet care when surgery will keep you overnight at the hospital.
8. Purchase front button-up shirts. Do not bring shirts to the hospital that have to be pulled over your head, and wear button-up shirts the first few weeks after surgery.
9. Take a shower the morning of your facelift. Do not apply makeup, lotions or other moisturizers to your skin. Cleanse your facial skin with an anti-bacterial soap provided to you by your surgeon or purchased at the local drug store the morning of the surgery.
