One of the most frequent questions we get from patients is whether anything can be done to speed up the post-procedure recovery process. Patients want to know about this for a variety of reasons. Patients may want to keep the procedure a secret from friends or coworkers; they may want to get back to their lifestyle as quickly as possible; or, they may have a trip or life event that they want to make sure they will have recovered by. Here we discuss tips for recovery from plastic surgery.
The first thing to acknowledge when providing an answer is that every patient’s body is different. One person may take a full 4 week recovery period while another may feel well enough after two weeks to return to his or her normal lifestyle. This variability makes it hard for plastic surgeons to give any definitive promises about speed of recovery.
The truth is, there is no magic trick for speeding up the recovery process. The patient’s overall health plays a factor, and your doctor should have already evaluated your medical history at the time of deciding if you’re a good candidate for the procedure. Individuals who are younger and in good health tend to heal more quickly.
Ultimately, there are three things you can do to make your healing process as quick as it can be for your body:
- Continue to lead a healthy lifestyle, including getting plenty of sleep and eating a healthy diet in order to give your body the building blocks it needs for the recovery process.
- Follow your doctor’s recovery instructions to a T, because they have been formulated from working with hundreds of patients and help to ensure not only that your body can heal as quickly and safely as possible, but also that your cosmetic procedure has the best possible aesthetic outcome.
- Give your body the time it needs to heal before putting any strain on it. We can’t emphasize this enough—listen to your body and don’t push yourself too hard, because this can actually impede or reverse the healing process, and also ruin the desired outcome of the procedure. If you’re unsure about whether you can do a particular activity during your recovery, your best bet is to either abstain or get in touch with your doctor to ask his or her advice.
Have a recovery related question for us? The FAQs on our website answers some of the most common questions, but if you can’t find an answer there, don’t hesitate to reach out to us!
