Can I Take a Shower After Surgery?

Thank you for your question.  Please ask your plastic surgeon for their protocol, however I advice my patients to shower and wash their hair as normal, making sure that all products are thoroughly rinsed out.  To prevent any infection as well, a good idea would be to dry incisions with a hair dryer on a cool setting.All The Best 

You can start showering and shampooing normally the second day after surgery. However, it's best to ask your surgeon because they might have different advice.

You should ask your surgeon when you can take a shower.  This is very surgeon specific.  I let my patients shower the next morning, with tepid water only and no rubbing of the lids, just let water run over the skin.  Some surgeons may not want the stitches getting wet, other surgeons, like myself, put all the sutures under the skin so thats not an issue.

Recommendations on how long to wait before getting a surgical incision wet in the shower can vary quite a bit among surgeons. I would stress just asking your surgeon how long you should wait. There may be some variability depending on what specific technique was used to close the incision.

I typically tell patients that the incision line is water tight after 48 hours. After this point there is very little chance that showering would carry any bacteria into the incision and cause an infection.

1. I usually ask patients to keep the surgical area dry for 3-5 days after eye lid surgery depending on what was done.
2. Always check with your surgeon before getting surgical sites wet since there is no hard rule or guideline that says when it is safe to shower.

This is best answered by your surgeon, I routinely allow my patient to shower after 48 hours without rubbing the area concerned.

Hi Terra Haute,

You should be fine to shower after 48-72 hours after eyelid surgery; however, you should defer to your surgeon to find out if he or she has any problems or concerns.

Good luck!

I am assuming you are referring to upper Blepharoplasty surgery.  I will always defer instructions to your surgeon, but routinely patients are allowed to shower within 48 hours of the procedure.  If steri-strips were placed on the incisions, it is suggested you keep them dry.  Please follow-up with your surgeon for instructions.  Good Luck, Dr. Corrado

I do recommend speaking with your surgeon first to understand his specifics in regards to showering after your surgery. My patients can shower the next day. In the old days, we thought the shower increased the risk of infection but we discovered the more rapidly you shower and dilute the bacteria on your skin after surgery, the less chance of that bacteria affecting your wounds.

This is surgeon dependent.  I let my patients shower and get water over the stitches the day after surgery.