How Can I Prepare my Body/Skin for Surgery?

Thank you for your question.  There is no strict creams and diet which prepares you for surgery.  I always suggest to my patient that any herbal medication, to stop taking 2 weeks before the surgery.  As some of these can have components which can thin the blood.  Also, I would NOT advise Arnica tablets as have resulted in more bruising in a lot of my patients.  Have a good diet before surgery and keep hydrated.  Every surgeon will have differ protocol so please do follow this.  All The Best 

You should have specific
instructions from your plastic surgeon on the pre-operative management, pre-operative vitamins and supplements to take and
medications to stop taking prior to surgery. If you do not have this, this may
be a red flag that you are seeing a plastic surgeon who is truly prepared to do
your operative procedure.

As long as you are in good health, don’t smoke, and eat a relatively healthy diet, there are no special preparations other than following the instructions provided by your surgeon

Dear facelift Patient from Maryland,
I personally recommend Arnica Montana, Vitamin C, Vitamin K for all of my facial plastic procedures. Certain Vitamins and herbal medications should be avoided to prevent bruising and bleeding. You should follow your own surgeon’s advice, since he is the one performing the procedure. Good luck and good healing.
 

There are several things you can do to prepare your body and skin for surgery. A good skin regime such as Obagi is highly recommended. Many offices have an esthetician that could assist you in the correct application for your skin type. Diet is very important, you want to eat healthy with lots of leafy greens such as iron rich spinach. Take a good multi-vitamin daily, but check to see the amount of vitamin E, you do not want to take more than 400 IU a day as that could interfere with blood clotting. Check the labels, most have only 400 IU.

Your surgeon should give you a list of what to avoid starting 2 weeks prior to surgery, there are many supplements, herbs and vitamins that have blood thinning qualities to them and need to be avoided and not restarted until 2 weeks after surgery. Starting Arnica Montana a day before surgery will help with the bruising, "Sinecch" is a good brand that is premeasured specifically for surgery patients and is a higher dosage than what you can get at the health food stores. Many plastic surgeons offices keep it in stock. And of course exercise is important even if it is just walking 30 minutes a day, it helps with your circulation among other obvious benefits. These are all good habits to start now and continue for life.

Hi flower2010 in Maryland,

Great results in plastic surgery is not the result of the cosmetic procedure alone or the expertise of the plastic surgeon. Preoperative and postoperative care are essential for outstanding results.

Most importantly follow the specific instructions of your plastic surgeon, as each has his/her specific instructions. Generally, avoid any blood thinners for at least 2 weeks prior to surgery. Stop smoking, keep well hydrated, get plenty of sleep, and have a balanced diet with fresh fruits & vegetables. Lastly, your plastic surgeon should always be available to answer all of your questions about your specific needs. You may also look at my plastic surgery care instructions provided for my facial surgery patients. Best of luck.

The most important thing you can do is follow your surgeon's preoperative instructions. If they have not provided you with this, you can ask them for general preoperative care and specific questions you may have. In general, Arnica taken the night before surgery and then postoperatively has shown to help in healing as does avoidance of smoking, alcohol and sun. Additionally, avoid taking a multivitamin that contains vitamin E, as this can predispose to bleeding.

I would continue a healthy diet and exercise, and a good skin care program which should be maintained after surgery as well. Most patients who are nutritionally sound do not need additional supplementation. However a multivitamin and Vitamin C are ok. I would avoid too many additional vitamin supplementation and herbal medication--most of these can cause bleeding problems. Arnica may or may not help. Avoid second hand smoke and obviously smoking.

Dear Flower 

Congratulations regarding your decision to have cosmetic surgery.  Please be aware that all surgeons have different preferences for how patients prepare for surgery.  This is one of those situations were when you ask 100 surgeons, you will get 100 opinions.  However, only one opinion matters: that of your plastic surgeon.  In my office, we make a point of providing these answers.  I recommend that you contact your surgeon's office and make sure you are clear on your preoperative instructions rather than putting this question to 1000 surgeons whose opinions really don't matter for your situation.

Every doctor has a differnt preoperative regimen for thier patients and you should folllow yours. I prefer  that patients avoid all herbals and any blood thinners.