Skin Care Before and After Facial Plastic Surgery

Hi there-
Each surgeon will have their preferences for immediate preoperative skin preparation, so to be fair, I would suggest you ask your surgeon what his/her preferences are.
I usually ask my patients to stop all tretinoin and hydroquinone containing products for one week prior to surgery.

My recommendation to you is to stop the Obaji products about 10 days before the surgery, especially if they contain Retin A and Hydroquinone. You may restart this product about 4 weeks after the surgery. After the facelift, the face can become dry and a simple moisturizer will be useful. Retin A can make the skin even more dry within this period.

If you were to get very dry and peel a lot prior to your surgery, you might develop slight cracks in the skin which in the dryer winter weather could be exacerbated. This might increase the risk of skin infection. Ask your surgeon, but it might be prudent to not use the products for one to two weeks before and a week after.

 Each surgeon will have a different answer to this question. Check with your surgeon since he will know what surgery was done and how it will affect your healing.

First off, I am glad to hear you are taking great care of your skin with a quality product such as Obaji. As a facial plastic surgeon, I always say healthy skin heals better and faster, it's that simple. I would recommend you stop the active ingredients of the Obaji system 5-7 days before Surgery. These include the Retin A and the Hydroquinone Creams. This allows the skin a little breather prior to surgery.
I will start patients back on these products 2-3 weeks afterward. Don't forget a quality sun block that has either zinc oxide OR titanium dioxide ingredients to protect your new face. Hope this helps and enjoy your new facial surgeries.