| Pre-and Post-Operative Instructions
General Pre-Op Instructions
General Post-Op Instructions
Blepharopolasty
Chin Augmentation
Dermabrasion
Chemical Peel
Face Lift
Forehead Lift
Submental Liposuction
Rhinoplasty
Sinus Surgery
General Pre-Op Instructions
1. PRECAUTIONS
For Two Weeks Prior to Surgery:
- No Aspirin or aspirin-like medications
- No Ibuprofen or like medications such as Motrin,
Advil, Aleve, Naprosyn, etc.
- No Vitamin E by mouth in addition to the amount
in a multivitamin tablet
The above medications can affect the clotting
function of your blood and cause excessive bleeding. If
you have any questions about other medications, please call
your family doctor or our office for information.
2. TYLENOL IS SAFE.
3. SMOKING: We want your surgical experience
and recovery to be smooth and uneventful. One of the ways
we have found to promote your recovery is to be certain
that you avoid smoking for 2 full weeks before and after
your surgery. Healing is jeopardized if you continue to
smoke before and after your procedure. Nicotine constricts
the blood vessels and the blood flow to the area of your
surgery is decreased. This deprives the healing tissues
of essential oxygen and nutrients. If normal healing is
to occur, patients MUST NOT SMOKE at the time of their surgical
procedure. We therefore insist that smoking be terminated
at least 2 full weeks before your surgery.
4. Please arrange transportation home
after surgery. You will need a companion at home the first
night. Local hotels are available at a reasonable cost if
you do not live in the New York area.
5. We ask that you remain in the New York
area at least overnight if your residence is more than one
hour.
6. You will be given an appointment approximately
two weeks prior to your surgery date to answer any further
questions you may have, sign your consent form, have preoperative
photos taken, obtain necessary prescriptions and further
written preoperative instructions. Fees, if any, are payable
at this time also.
General Post-Op Instructions
1. Use the medication prescribed for discomfort as needed.
DO NOT TAKE ANY ASPIRIN OR ASPIRIN-RELATED PRODUCTS. Extra-Strength
Tylenol is recommended as an effective alternative.
2. To help minimize swelling:
a. Keep your head elevated, sleeping on at least two pillows
b. Apply ice to the surgical area, 20 minutes on, 20 minutes
off. Apply moist gauze followed by a small bag of crushed
ice or frozen peas.
c. Eat a low salt diet and drink at least 8 glasses of water
or juice per day.
d. Swelling will peak at 48-72 hours following surgery.
3. Apply Bacitracin Ointment (provided
by our office) to the suture areas 4 times a day until the
sutures are removed.
4. You may shower the next day unless
instructed otherwise. Gently pat dry and reapply ointment
after bathing.
5. Please call if you are experiencing
significant discomfort or notice any visual symptoms.
6. Avoiding bending or lifting heavy objects
for 7-10 days. You can gradually resume your normal level
of aerobic activity after the second week. Light walking
is acceptable after the first few days.
7. Avoid sunning the face for 1 month
after surgery and wear sunscreen (protection 15) for 6 months.
This helps reduce scar formation.
8. Make-up may be worn after sutures are
removed.
If you have received an anesthetic, please
observe the following for the next 24 hours:
DO NOT:
Drink alcoholic beverages.
Travel by public conveyance (bus, train, etc.) without the
presence of another adult.
Drive or operate complex machinery.
Sign any legal documents. Important decision making should
be delayed until a full recovery is made.
Go home and rest. You may feel sleepy
and somewhat sluggish for several hours. You may have a
sore throat for a few hours. You may also have some general
muscular soreness for a day or two. Be patient during the
healing process. Time, patience, and careful attention to
instructions are key factors in the healing process.
Blepharopolasty (Eyelid) Post-Operative Instructions
Surgical Site/Skin Care
Take the antibiotic and pain medications
as prescribed. Swelling and discoloration is expected during
the first two weeks after surgery. Sleep with your back
elevated in order to minimize swelling.
You may be given a silicone gel pad for
cold compressing the eye area. Gel pads can be kept cool
in the refrigerator but do not place in the freezer. The
silicone material makes the gel pads fragile so handle gently.
Frozen peas or crushed ice in a ziplock bag may be used
in place of the gel pads. Never apply ice directly to surgical
site.
Apply ophthalmic Bacitracin Ointment to
incisions 4 times a day until sutures are removed.
Contact lenses should not be worn for one week, then resume
as tolerated. Call the office if you experience significant
pain or visual problems.
Follow-Up Appointments
· Removal of sutures in 4-7 days
If at any time you have any questions
or problems, please call us at 212-262-0056.
Chin Augmentation Post-Operative Instructions
1. Following surgery you will have a dressing
made of tape on your chin. You will return in 4 - 5 days
for removal.
2. Swelling and discoloration are expected
for one to two weeks. You may also experience numbness along
your lips lasting a few days to a couple of weeks.
3. Restrict activities. **No contact activities
(e.g. football, horseplay, etc for 8 weeks. Be Careful.
You may return to normal aerobic activities slowly after
the second week.
4. To help minimize swelling, you may
use ice to the chin area for the first 24 hours. Sleep with
head elevated, at least on 2 pillows for 1 - 2 weeks. Restricting
salt in your diet will help also. Drink at least 8 glasses
to water or juice a day.
5. You will need to eat a soft diet at
first, foods which minimize the need for chewing. You may
advance your diet as tolerated.
6. You may take a bath or shower and gently
wash your face and hair on the first day following surgery,
gently blotting dry the dressing after.
7. Do not take aspirin or aspirin-containing
products for two weeks after surgery.
8. The results of the chin augmentation
are not immediate. You will experience various degrees of
swelling and discoloration in the first several weeks. Time,
patience, and careful attention to instructions are key
factors in the healing process. If at any time you have
questions or problems, please call us at 212-262-0056.
If at any time you have any questions
or problems, please call us at 212-262-0056.
Dermabrasion Instructions
Before Surgery
1. PRECAUTIONS:
For Two Weeks Prior to Surgery:
· No Aspirin or aspirin-like medications
· No Ibuprofen or like medications such as Motrin,
Advil, Aleve, Naprosyn, etc.
· No Vitamin E by mouth
The above medications can affect the clotting
function of your blood and cause excessive bleeding. If
you have any questions about other medications, please call
your family doctor or our office for information.
2. TYLENOL IS SAFE.
3. SMOKING: We want your surgical experience
and recovery to be smooth and uneventful. One of the ways
we have found to promote your recovery is to be certain
that you avoid smoking for 2 full weeks before and after
your surgery. Healing is jeopardized if you continue to
smoke before and after your procedure. Nicotine constricts
the blood vessels and the blood flow to the area of your
surgery is decreased. This deprives the healing tissues
of essential oxygen and nutrients. If normal healing is
to occur, patients MUST NOT SMOKE at the time of their surgical
procedure. We therefore insist that smoking be terminated
at least 2 full weeks before your surgery.
4. Please arrange transportation home
after surgery. You will need a companion at home the first
night. Local hotels are available at a reasonable cost if
you do not live in the Seattle area. If you do not have
someone to stay with you we can give you the name of a company
which provides this service at a hotel or in your home.
5. You will be given an appointment approximately
two weeks prior to your surgery date to answer any further
questions you may have, sign your consent form, have preoperative
photos taken, obtain necessary prescriptions and further
written preoperative instructions. Fees, if any, are payable
at this time also.
Chemical Peel and Dermabrasion Post Operative
Instructions
1. Later today, you can expect stinging
pain and swelling. The pain generally lasts 4-6 hours; it
can be relieved by taking your pain pills. Cool moist gauze
may help.
2. Try not to move the treated area excessively.
If the mouth area is involved, it may be easier to drink
through a straw.
3. Within 24-36 hours some small blisters
may form and rupture, exuding fluid; this is common and
should cause no concern.
4. Beginning the first day after surgery,
rinse your face six times a day with lukewarm water. This
is done most easily in a slow-running shower, or with a
small hand sprayer. Pat the skin dry and apply Bacitracin
ointment to the peeled areas after each shower. Continue
this rinsing for about 1 week or as long as there is crusting
remaining on the face.
5. Some crusts may form during the first
few days after a peel. These will loosen and come off with
gentle washing. Never pick the crusts off or you may damage
new skin forming underneath. A varying amount of temporary
swelling occurs during this period; try not to become anxious--it
will pass.
6. After the first week, you will have
a delicate new skin which must toughen. During the next
week: A. Wash face with mild soap such as Neutrogena or
Basis once or twice daily; use your hands or cotton balls,
not a washcloth. B. Keep face moist with cold cream or moisturizing
cream.
7. By 7-10 days after peeling, you should
be able to use water-based makeup lightly over the area;
it can be gently removed with cold cream and cotton balls.
8. The intense red color will fade rapidly,
but pink coloration will remain for 6-8 weeks. A few very
small whiteheads may appear in the treated areas. These
usually disappear in 2-3 weeks without specific treatment.
9. Prolonged exposure to the sun may cause discoloration
and should be avoided for 6 months. A sunscreen, factor
15 or greater, should be used when in the sun.
If at any time you have any questions
or problems, please call us at 212-262-0056.
Face Lift Post-Operative Instructions
Surgical Site and Skin Care
- Follow directions in General
Instructions for minimizing swelling.
- After surgery you will have a turban like dressing
that is removed the following morning in the office. You
will receive a chin strap which should be worn continually
(except when bathing) for 1 week. Thereafter, chin strap
should be worn at night only for 2 weeks.
- Neck will be bruised and it is not uncommon for
discoloration to extend to the upper chest
- Bacitracin Ointment should be gently applied to
all incisions 4 times a day and after bathing to all incision
sites.
- Some numbness along incision area and cheeks is
expected and will slowly resolve.
Activity (In addition to General Instructions)
- Avoid excessive neck and head movement. Turn your
head, neck and shoulders as one unit
- No driving for one week
- Aerobic exercise should be avoided for 14 days
Follow - Up Appointments
- Dressing removal/chin strap application (day after
surgery)
- Suture removal in 5-7 days
- Remaining sutures and staples in 7 to 10 days
If at any time you have any questions
or problems, please call us at 212-262-0056.
Forehead Lift Post-Operative Instructions
1. Severe pain or swelling, particularly
if much greater on one side, could be a sign of a problem,
call us if this occurs.
2. Restrict activities. Sleep with head
elevated for 1-2 weeks on at least two pillows. Swelling
will peak 3-4 days following surgery. Avoid bending or lifting
heavy objects for 1 week. Avoid sunning the face for one
month, for the next six months, use a sunscreen (factor
15 or greater).
3. You may take a bath or shower and gently
wash your face and hair on the first day following surgery.
Bacitracin ointment, which will be supplied, should be gently
applied to all staples and screws (if used) four times a
day, and after and bath or shower.
4. Do not take aspirin or aspirin-containing
products for two weeks after surgery. Use your prescription
pain medication as needed, but as some of your initial discomfort
subsides try Extra-Strength Tylenol (acetaminophen) for
control of your discomfort. Prescription pain medications
can sometimes slow your rate of recovery due to their sedating
side effects.
5. Post-operative visits: You may remove
the dressing the day after surgery. Seven to ten days following
surgery, sutures or staples will be removed. Make-up can
be worn (except over the incisions) in 5-7 days.
The results of the forehead lift are not
immediate. You will experience various degrees of swelling
and discoloration in the first several weeks. Also, varying
degrees of forehead numbness can occur generally lasting
a few weeks to a few months. Time, patience, and careful
attention to instructions are key factors in the healing
process.
If at any time you have any questions
or problems, please call us at 212-262-0056.
Submental Liposuction Post-Operative Instructions
1. Severe pain or swelling, particularly
if much greater on one side, could be a sign of a problem,
call us if this occurs.
2. You may have a gauze dressing under
your chin and have a chin/face wrap in place. The chin/face
wrap should be snug but nit too tight. You may change the
gauze pad as necessary. The chin/face wrap should be worn
for the first three days at all times. After three days,
the wrap should be worn at night-time for an additional
week. You may temporarily remove the wrap to shower after
the first day.
3. You will experience bruising and swelling
along the neck and upper chest, which will begin to decrease
around the third or fourth day. Ice packs along the neck
area will help minimize this and should assist in comfort.
Use a zip lock bag with finely crushed ice or frozen baby
peas, covered in a towel and use the ice on for twenty minutes
and off for twenty minutes. Also, sleep with your head elevated
on at least two pillows for the first week, minimize salt
intake and drink at least 8 glasses of fluid per day to
help decrease the swelling.
4. Apply Bacitracin Ointment to the sutures
four (4) times per day.
5. Do not take aspirin or aspiring-containing
products for two weeks after surgery.
6. Make-up can be worn (except over the
incisions) in 5-7 days.
If at any time you have any questions
or problems, please call us at 212-262-0056.
Rhinoplasty Post-Operative Instructions
1. Take the medications you have been
prescribed according to instructions. If the cast on your
nose falls off prior to your follow-up appointment, do not
be concerned.
2. Use the medication prescribed for discomfort
as needed. DO NOT TAKE ANY ASPIRIN OR IBUPROFEN PRODUCTS.
Extra-strength Tylenol is recommended as an effective alternative
if the pain is not severe enough to take the prescribed
pain medications.
3. Keep your head slightly elevated on
at least two pillows, even when sleeping Apply cold compresses
to your eyes to reduce swelling and bruising for three days.
Frozen peas in a ziplock bag are a good substitute for ice.
Swelling will peak in 3 days after surgery. Your nose will
feel stuffy because of the swelling inside. You may find
a bedside humidifier helpful.
4. Change the gauze dressing beneath the
nose as needed. There may be drainage for 1-2 days. Do not
rub the nostrils. A small amount of blood-tinged drainage
is normal. More vigorous bleeding is not.
5. You may cleanse the outside of the
nostrils with 3% Peroxide on Q-tips. In case you have sutures
at the base of your nose, cleanse them 3 times a day with
Peroxide and apply Bacitracin to the area. You may also
gently apply some ointment to the inside of your nostrils
with a Q-tip.
6. In order to clean the inside of your
nose, use Saline Nose Sprays (over the counter) 4 to 6 times
per day.
7. You may shower and wash your hair the
day after surgery. It is OK to get the tape or the cast
on your nose wet.
8. A low salt diet is important. This
will help reduce swelling.
9. To permit proper healing, activities
which raise the blood pressure, such as jogging, swimming,
or any aerobic activity, even bending and lifting should
be restricted during the first two weeks.
10. Do not blow your nose for 10 days.
If you have to sneeze, open your mouth so that air is expelled
through your mouth.
11. Avoid sunning the face for 1 month
after surgery and wear sunscreen (protection factor 15)
for 6 months.
12. Post-operative follow-up appointments
are needed for suture removal in 5-7 days and for splint
removal in 7-10 days.
If at any time you have any questions
or problems, please call us at 212-262-0056.
Sinus Surgery Post-op Instructions
1. Take the antibiotic and pain medications
as prescribed.
2. You will be discharged from the hospital
with gauze dressing to catch any discharge form your nose.
You may change the dressing as needed. The bloody nasal
discharge usually continues for two days. If nasal discharge
becomes significant, please contact the office.
3. Most patients experience nasal congestion
for the first week following surgery. Nasal saline spray
(over the counter) used 4 to 6 times per day can help.
4. It is not uncommon to have one or two
bouts of vomiting following surgery. This is usually due
to anesthetic effects and presence of blood in the stomach.
5. In order to minimize the risk of bleeding,
do not blow your nose and open your mouth to sneeze for
the first 2 weeks following surgery.
6. You will be given an appointment for
a post-operative visit in 5 to 10 days following surgery.
7. You may want to invest in a water pick
with a special nasal attachment as a more effective method
of nasal irrigation. The water pick and the nasal attachment
can be purchased at Boyd's Pharmacy - 212-838-6558. Saline
(salt water) must be used for irrigation and not tap or
sterile water. You can obtain ready made saline in 1-liter
bottles (prescription will be provided) or you may make
your own according to the following recipe.
The Recipe
- Carefully clean and rinse a 1-quart
glass jar. Fill the clean jar with warm tap water or bottled
water. You need not boil the water. Sensitive individuals
may wish to use distilled water.
- Add 2-3 heaping teaspoons of
pure salt (without iodine, pure kosher salt etc.).
- Add 2 rounded teaspoons of Arm
& Hammer baking soda (pure sodium bicarbonate).
- Stir or shake before each use.
Store at room temperature. After a week, pour out any mixture
that is left over and make a new solution. Never pour back
unused solution or put the syringe into unused solution
since this may contaminate it with bacteria.
- If the mixture seems too strong
(burning or stinging), try using less salt (1.5 - 2.0 teaspoons).
For children, it is best to start with a weaker solution.
Then you may gradually increase the concentration of salt
over the next week or two, to the full strength (2-3 teaspoons).
- For frequent use, mix a gallon
of irrigating fluid at one time in the same proportions
of salt and bicarbonate; keep refrigerated and warm in the
microwave oven prior to use.
- The temperature of the irrigating
solution should be at or close to body temperature (98.6
degrees). It should not feel excessively cool or warm to
the touch.
- Alternatively, the saline solution
may be purchased ready-made from the drug store (ENTsolTM
Buffered Hypertonic Nasal Wash). This is sold either as
a premixed solution or in dry powder packets. The packets
are especially convenient when traveling.
- The water pick should be adjusted
to shoot up about 6 inches. The nasal tip attachment is
held to the nostril with the head held upright. 250-cc of
irrigation should be used per side. The resulting nasal
discharge is usually blood tinged.
If at any time you have any questions or problems, please
call us at 212-262-0056.
|
s