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How much will it hurt? All patients experience some pain after surgery. Most often this can be controlled with prescription pain pills. Frequently, patients take only plain acetaminophen (i.e. Tylenol) for pain. Generally, patients begin switching to acetaminophen three to five days after their laser resurfacing. Ice packs and/or cool moist packs also help with pain and swelling. Do I have to stay in bed after my surgery? No. Gently get out of bed as soon as possible after your surgery. An adult must help you get out of bed the first few times because of possible fainting. Begin to walk as much as possible as soon as you can after surgery. Always get out of bed to go to the bathroom. Do take it easy the first few days. Do not exert yourself in any strenuous activity. A balance of rest and reduced activity will speed up your recovery. Will there be any bandages or dressings? Plastic sandwich wrap (Handiwrap) is all that is necessary for the first few days. This is placed over a generous layer of petroleum jelly (Vaseline). This keeps the skin moist and it aids in healing. Once the skin has started to heal (about seven days), you can switch to mineral oil. When can I shower after laser resurfacing? You may shower the day after laser resurfacing. Wash your hair and face gently with soap and water. Wash your face gently twelve hours after your shower. You may take another shower. You may use the antibacterial soap that you used before your surgery. Do not take a bath or swim for one week. When do I come back to the office for aftercare? I will want to see you in my office one day after your laser resurfacing. After your first visit, I want to see you at three days, one week, two weeks, six weeks, six months, and one year. The reason for this extended care is because it takes six months to one year for complete hair growth to occur. There are no charges for these office visits. You are welcome to be seen in my office anytime you have questions or concerns about your surgery. How long does it take to heal? Skin healing takes ten to fourteen days. Healing is complete when there is no more drainage and the skin has a light pink color. Facial skin redness is part of the healing process after any skin resurfacing. Postoperative redness will take three to six months to completely pass. This can be covered with makeup once the skin has healed. Body massage is very effective in relaxation. However, it cannot be done on the healing face due to the fragile nature of the newly healed skin. All therapeutic facial massage treatments must be discontinued for four to six weeks. How long you are off work depends on your occupation. If you do clerical work (i.e. stockbroker, teacher, or programmer), you can return to work when you feel up to it. This usually takes about two weeks. If you do manual labor (i.e. entertainer, truck driver, or trainer), you must be off work for three weeks. Avoid scratching your facial skin for four weeks regardless of your employment. You may be self conscious about meeting with people face to face until your face is healed (two weeks). You may apply make up to conceal remaining redness two weeks after surgery. When can I work out after surgery? Generally, you can go back to working out two to three weeks after laser resurfacing. This depends on how you feel. Do not lift anything that weighs more than five pounds and avoid contact sports for eight weeks. Workouts must stop if you experience any discomfort in your face. A balance of rest and reduced activity will speed up your recovery. When can I suntan after surgery? Sun tanning damages your skin. It leads to wrinkling, discoloration, and superficial growths. It can also lead to serious skin cancer. For these reasons, I recommend that you use sun block with an SPF number of 15 or greater at all times. A physical broad-spectrum sun block works best. If you are exposed to the sun, I recommend that you protect treated areas for six weeks with clothing such as a hat. You must be careful to protect any scars from sun exposure with clothing or sun block for six months. Better yet, stay in the shade where it's cooler! How long will the results last? The results are usually very long lasting (i.e. five to ten years). Sun exposure and aging will reduce the longevity of the results. To maintain the best result, it is important that you avoid sun exposure.
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