We’ve all got our vices. Maybe you like to unwind after work
with a glass of wine or a pint of cold, crisp beer. Or you sneak in a cigarette
here and there (there’s no judgment here at all!) But if you’re fresh out of a plastic
surgery procedure like a rhinoplasty or tummy tuck, you’re going to have to cut
out these habits for at least a few weeks. That’s because these habits can
prolong your recovery and increase your chances of complications which is
something you and your plastic surgeon don’t want.
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| It might be tempting to cave in and enjoy a drink after surgery, but you'll have to wait a few weeks. |
Drinking
After a successful procedure, perhaps you want to celebrate
with a glass of bubbly but unfortunately, you really shouldn’t. Drinking
alcohol is known to cause problems when you’re recovering after a procedure.
First off, you’ll be dehydrated after surgery. Alcohol is known to cause
dehydration, and if you drink, you’ll just lose more fluid from organs that
need it.
Drinking alcohol also increases your risks of swelling because
your blood vessels widen. If your cheeks or nose tend to get red and flushed
after drinking—and you just had rhinoplasty—you could be susceptible to swelling
if you drink after your operation. You might be seeking a buzz or craving to
let loose, but drinking after rhinoplasty will only cause pain and prolong your
recovery time.
So when can you drink again? That all depends on what
procedure you had, your medical history and what your plastic surgeon recommends.
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| Plastic surgeons often tell their patients to stop smoking several weeks before and after surgery. |
Smoking
Many plastic surgeons will tell their patients to quit
smoking at least a month before and after certain procedures. These common but
complex procedures where surgeons would tell you to stop smoking beforehand
include: breast lifts, breast reductions, tummy tucks and facelifts. This is
because skin and tissue is moved around, thus changing the blood supply of the
tissues. When performing these procedures, surgeons have to ensure there’s enough
blood flow through blood vessels—cigarette smoke negatively affects blood flow.
The nicotine in cigarettes causes blood vessels to
constrict, which affects your blood flow. Nicotine can also cause blood clots
which all factors into a decrease of blood supply to tissues, poorly healed
wounds and serious complications.
Smoking before your surgery has many known side effects like
dealing with a longer recovery time and worsened scars.
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| Avoid vigorous exercising like running and heavy weight lifting after surgery. |
Exercising
You probably didn’t expect to see this habit after reading
the first two. Even a “good” habit could be a hindrance to your procedure results
and recovery period. You might be anxious to start hitting the gym, but that
will have to wait for a few weeks. Intense exercise soon after surgery can
cause serious complications like swelling, inflammation, infection or
post-operative scarring.
Depending on the procedure you had, most plastic surgeons
will recommend that patients wait at least six weeks before getting back into
their regular exercise routines. You don’t have to quit exercising altogether
though; light exercise such as short walks during the day is fine. Over the
weeks, you can ease into your regular routine and increase the intensity of
your workouts once you’ve hit the sixth week after surgery.
It might be hard to resist that drink or cigarette when
there are different parties and occasions happening, but it’s just not worth
risking your health or results.
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