Consultation After Surgery
You will be sleepy and/or dizzy for a few hours. Rest. Do not attempt to move around unaided until the dizziness is completely gone. Make sure someone is there to help you to the bathroom.
At first, you may take clear fluids, such as tea and 7-Up. You can eat soft, mild, low salt foods, such as Jell-O if this does not upset your stomach.
Swelling
Keep your head elevated. It is best to use a “Lazy-Boy” or other recliner to sit or sleep. Move around as much as possible but make sure someone is with you for the first several days to avoid a fall should you become dizzy.
If the surgery was close to the eyes or lips, lean back a little and apply a plastic or cloth bag of crushed ice to the eyelids and lips for fifteen to twenty minutes every 2 to 3 hours. The ice will help to reduce the swelling. It is normal on the 3rd and 4th day for the eyes to swell shut in the morning.
Medication
TYLENOL®: We have found that Tylenol® taken on a regular basis before and after surgery will reduce swelling and inflammation. Take two Tylenol® every six hours the day before and for ten days after surgery.
Antibiotic: You must take the antibiotic as directed. While the surgery was done in a clean environment, the world outside is not that clean. Continue to take the antibiotic until the bottle is empty.
Pain: You will have a pain pill. Take one or two every four to six hours, as needed. After the second day, most patients do not need to take many of these.
Sleep: You will have a sleeping pill. Take this as needed, especially in the first 24 – 48 hours after the surgery.
Other medications: Some patients have heartburn or gastritis in the first four or five days after surgery. We recommend Tagamet® tablets every six hours as needed. Do not take aspirin or ibuprofen products for two weeks after surgery.
Physical Activity
Avoid strenuous exercise, straining, and bending for two weeks. All of these activities may injure the newly forming capillaries. Contact with any object that has a shearing force against the skin will injure the capillaries and will cause bleeding and bruising.
Contact sports such as football and basketball should be avoided for six weeks.
Women often develop bleeding under the skin during the third through sixth week, caused by whisker burns. Male companions should be clean shaven, with no beard stubble.
Avoid sunlight and wind for three months if you had facial surgery.
Sunlight and wind cause redness, sunburn, and irregular brown pigmentation. Even indirect or reflected sunlight or sunlight filtered through cloud overcast or fog can contribute significantly to these problems. Wear a broad-brimmed hat and sunscreen lotion or gel whenever you are outdoors during daylight hours.
Sunscreen must be applied twice daily, morning and noon, and more often if you are exposed to the sun. It may be applied under makeup. Exposure to sunlight without sunscreens, even brief periods, may cause temporary color changes.
While sunscreens are quite effective, they do not filter out all of the burning and tanning rays. Sunbathing, golfing, tennis, fishing, skiing, snowmobiling, and similar activities must be avoided during midday hours until the pink color has completely faded.
