Abdominoplasty | Breast Augmentation | Facelift | Blepharoplasty | Liposuction | Rhinoplasty

Will I have much pain? Yes, expect a moderate amount of discomfort. In general, the pain gets much better after about 4-5 days. Most people are able to do without much pain medication after that. A prescription for pain medication will be provided. Will I have drains? Yes. Your drains will be removed after drainage has slowed to 20cc per drain per 24-hour period (or at least 48 hours). You will be asked to keep a daily log. The average removal time for drains is 2 weeks. When can I shower? After the drains are removed. In the mean time, sponge-bath is encouraged. When do the bandages get removed? About 5 days after surgery. When can I drive? Approximately 5-7 days after surgery. Will there be any bruising, swelling or loss of sensation? Some swelling and minimal bruising are common. There will be some numbness at the lower abdomen. This is generally resolved after a few months. When can I begin exercising? You are encouraged to start some walking as soon as possible to minimize the risk of lower leg blood clots. You may do fast walks, treadmill, muscle toning in about a week. Most people are able to resume a full exercise program in about 3 weeks. How soon may I return to work? Some people with relatively sedentary jobs are able to return to work in as little as one week. Most people with light-duty type of jobs can return in about 10 days to 2 weeks. Heavier job duties may require 3-4 weeks. Is there a good position for sleep following abdominoplasty? Sleeping in a slightly flexed position, knees and head elevated. In about 3 to 4 weeks you may be able to tolerate sleeping on your stomach. What can I do for the scar? Massaging of scars is strongly recommended to optimize the appearance of scars. Our office carries ScarGuard for those who are interested.   Back to Top

Will there be pain after surgery? Yes, expect some discomfort. A prescription for pain medication will be provided. In general, the pain gets much better in about 3 days. Most people are able to do without much pain medication after that. I think the implants are too large and too high. Help! It is very common for the implants to appear to be a bit high, large, and tight immediately after surgery. This is due to some swelling and compression of the tissue, skin, fat and sometimes pectoralis muscle (depending on the placement of implants.) The implants placed under the pectoralis muscle tend to look tighter in the short term and take longer (about 3 weeks) for the implants to settle. After a few weeks, the appearance of the implants are generally very satisfactory. Will I need to wear a special bra or wrapping after surgery? You do not need to wear any special bras for support. Some people may feel more comfortable with soft bras. You will have small dressings at the incision sites after surgery but not a circumferential wrap. When can I shower? About 5 days after surgery. The incision sites should be kept dry. In the mean time, sponge-bath is encouraged. When do the bandages get removed? 5-7 days after surgery at your first post operative visit. Will there be any bruising, swelling or loss of sensation? Yes. Some swelling and minimal bruising is common. There can be some numbness at or around the nipple area. This is generally resolved after a few months. This is most commonly due to stretch of the sensory nerves. A few people can have permanently decreased sensation of the breasts. How soon can I exercise? You may start light exercise such as brisk walking or treadmill exercise within a few days. You should wait about 7-10 days before heavy lifting. Running and swimming can be started around 2-3 weeks. When can I return to work? In general, most people are able to perform sedentary work in about 5 days. More vigorous work can be started about 10 days. What can I do for the scars? Massaging of scars is strongly recommended to optimize the appearance of scars. Our office carries ScarGuard for those who are interested. I hear some squishing sound in my chest when I lean forward. Is it normal? This is due to the small residual air pocket between the implants and the pockets created for the implants. As we inserted the implants into the pockets, a small amount of air is trapped in the pockets. It can make the squishing noise as the implants move with position change. There is nothing to worry about. The air is absorbed in about 1 week. How soon can I fly after breast augmentation? Since there is a small amount of air in the pockets right after surgery and the air can expand at high altitude, we recommend no flying for 10 days after surgery. Back to Top

Will there be pain after the surgery? There is usually mild pain, however, significant pain is uncommon. A prescription for pain medication will be provided. Will there be drains? Not usually. When is my first office visit? The first visit is scheduled the day after surgery. The dressing is removed and the operated area is carefully checked for bleeding and any other problems. It is a good idea to bring a scarf with you to cover your hair after the dressing is removed. What can I expect after dressings are removed? You will need to begin application of antibiotic ointment to suture lines around the ears and scalp. You will also need to begin applying warm compresses to the lower face. After the surgery will I be able to sleep normally? It is recommended you sleep on your back with two pillows supporting your head until the sutures are removed. This helps minimize swelling. When are sutures removed? 5-7 days after surgery. Massaging of scars is strongly recommended to optimize the appearance of scars. Our office carries ScarGuard for those who are interested. How long can I expect swelling and bruising? The swelling is usually the most 2-4 days after surgery. By 1 week, the swelling is much less and the bruising is usually at the neck area. By 10-14 days, the bruising can generally be concealed with make-up. How soon can I exercise? Walking and other light exercise can begin within days after surgery. Jogging, weight training and other cardiovascular type of exercise should wait about 2 weeks to avoid risk of bleeding. Back to Top

Will I have pain? There is usually minimal pain, however, a prescription for pain medication will be prescribed. Will I need to do anything following the procedure? A cool compress applied to the eyes for the first 24 hours following your surgery is recommended. Apply the cold compress for 15-20 minutes at a time. After the first 24 hours, warm compress will be more helpful. Do not bear down, bend down or lift heavy things as they can increase the chance of bleeding. Can I get the incisions wet? Try to keep the incisions dry until the sutures are removed. Can I wear make-up? No, not until the sutures are removed. When are the sutures removed? Approximately 5 days following surgery. Will there be bruising? There will be bruising and swelling for the first week following surgery. In general, the swelling is most significant during the second and third day and gets better after that. The bruising will start to improve about 5 days after surgery and will be nearly gone by 10 days. Can I sleep normally? It is recommended you sleep on your back with two pillows supporting your head for the first week following surgery. When can I return to work? If your work is relatively sedentary, you may possibly be back to work as early as 5 days. By 7-10 days, the bruising may have resolved enough to be hidden with make-up. How about exercise? Light exercise such as walking is encouraged as soon as possible. Muscle toning, fast walking, etc. is possible by one week. Running and heavy lifting is allowed at two weeks. Back to Top

Will I have much pain? In general the pain is a dull type of ache.  A prescription for pain medication will be provided.  The pain usually becomes much more tolerable within a day or two. What can I expect after surgery? It is very important to wear the compression garment 24 hours a day for the first week after surgery to avoid fluid accumulation. It is also strongly recommended that you continue to wear the garment for two more weeks to facilitate reduction of edema. It is advised to drink plenty of fluids after surgery. Gatorade or any other type of electrolyte solution is best, 1-2 liters a day for the first 2-3 days. Will there be bruising & swelling? Yes. Moderate bruising is normal after liposuction. This generally subsides in about 7-10 days. Typically, swelling begins soon after surgery. There may be swelling in the groin due to the procedure and compression garment during the first week after surgery. Even though there will be visible improvement within weeks of the procedure, you will not see the final results of the liposuction for several months after the procedure. When can I shower? After your first post op visit. In the mean time, sponge-bath is encouraged. When can I return to work? You may return to light duty work in 3-6 days. When can I exercise? Walking and upper body toning can begin as early as the second day post operatively. More vigorous exercise can begin at about 10 days. When is my first post op visit? 5-7 days after surgery.  Will the fat return? All fat cells are not removed, therefore, if weight is gained the fat cells can expand. However, you are not likely to gain fat back only at the suctioned areas.  Can I loose a lot of weight with liposuction? This is not a weight reduction. We strongly recommend that you exercise and diet to achieve your weight reduction goal. The best candidates for liposuction are those with only specific areas of fatty tissue to be removed. What are the complications? Complications are infrequent but include dehydration, deep venous thrombosis (blood clots to legs), surface contour irregularities and infection. Back to Top

Will there be pain after the surgery? There is usually mild pain, however, significant pain is uncommon. A prescription for pain medication will be provided. When is my first office visit? The first visit is scheduled 5 days after surgery. You should keep you head elevated on 2 pillows when sleeping to facilitate reduction of swelling. Leave the plastic splint intact until first office visit. When are sutures removed? No sutures need to be removed with closed rhinoplasty as all the incisions are internal. A few tiny sutures are removed in the first follow-up visit if open rhinoplasty is performed. Massaging of scars is strongly recommended to optimize the appearance of scars. Our office carries ScarGuard for those who are interested. How long can I expect swelling and bruising? The swelling is usually the most 2-4 days after surgery. By 1 week, the swelling is much less and the bruising is usually at the lower eyelid area. By 10 days, the bruising can generally be concealed with make-up. How long does it take for the swelling to go away? Although you can generally see the improvement soon after surgery, it can take several months for all the swelling to subside and the final result to take shape. How soon can I exercise? Walking and other light exercise can begin within days after surgery. Jogging, weight training and other cardiovascular type of exercise should wait about one week to avoid risk of bleeding. Back to Top