What can I do to reduce the pain? When can I take aspirin or ibuprofen after surgery? When can I eat after surgery? Can I drive myself home? When can I drive my car? Does someone need to stay with me after surgery? What can I do to reduce the swelling? Do I have to stay in bed after my surgery? Will there be any bandages or dressings? When can I shower after surgery? How long must I stay in town after surgery? How long before I can travel? When can I drink alcohol? When can I apply makeup after surgery? How long must I be off work? When can I work out after laser resurfacing ? When can I have a massage? Can I use a heating pad on my face? When can I have a permanent and hair coloring? When can I suntan after surgery? When will I see the final result of the surgery? What should I do if I have questions? When do I come back to the office for aftercare? All of us at the Bashioum Cosmetic Surgery center are proud of the postoperative care of our patients. We want you to have the very best surgical result possible! We are here for you. If you have any questions of any kind, please call us. It is our pleasure to help you through your convalescence. It is important that you follow these aftercare instructions. They have been developed to reduce your risk of complications and they will help with the postoperative healing. Working together we will succeed in our goal for you! What can I do to reduce the pain? All patients experience some pain in their face after surgery. Thirty percent of patients take only plain acetaminophen (i.e. Tylenol) for pain. Begin by taking only plain acetaminophen elixir (liquid) for pain as soon as possible after surgery. If this is not sufficient to control your pain, begin taking the prescribed pain pills. These may make you sick to your stomach. Generally, patients begin switching to acetaminophen two to three days after laser resurfacing surgery. Ice packs also help with pain and swelling. When applying the ice bags make sure that there is a small amount of water in with the ice at all times. Your skin should feel cool to the touch. Do not use frozen gel packs. When can I take aspirin or ibuprofen after surgery? Do not take aspirin or ibuprofen containing products (Advil, Alka-Seltzer, Anacin, Ascriptin, Bayer Aspirin, BC, Bufferin, Cheracol Capsules, Cope, Coricidin, Darvon Compound, Dristan, Empirin or Empirin Compound, Excedrin, Fiorinol, Midol, Motrin, Percodan, Pepto-Bismol, Sine-Aid, Sine-Off, Stendin, Triminicin, Vanquish) for two days after your surgery. When can I eat after surgery? Drink only liquids for the first few hours after surgery. Advance slowly to small, light meals. If you experience nausea or vomiting more than two times, please call me so I can prescribe something to reduce this. Can I drive myself home? You may not drive yourself home after surgery. The pain medicines and the anesthesia drugs interfere with your good judgement and coordination. When can I drive my car? Do not do anything that requires mental or physical coordination for 48 hours or for as long as you are taking prescription pain pills. This includes driving a car, truck, tractor, or operating machinery, power tools, appliances, or machinery. The pain medicines and the anesthesia drugs interfere with your good judgement and coordination. Does someone need to stay with me after surgery? You must have an adult (older than 18 years old) take you home and remain with you continuously for 24 hours after your surgery. Although rare, emergencies do occur. You need to have an adult with you in the event that you need help. You must have help to the bathroom the first few times in case you experience dizziness or lightheadedness. What can I do to reduce the swelling? Swelling is a normal part of laser resurfacing surgery. Swelling will involve the face, eyelids, and neck. Elevating the head of your bed or sleeping on three or four pillows will minimize swelling. You may sit in a chair. Applying ice to your face will also help. When applying the ice bags make sure that there is a small amount of water in with the ice at all times. Your skin should feel cool to the touch. Do not use frozen gel packs. Reducing the swelling reduces the pain after your surgery. It is possible for your eyelids to swell shut particularly in the morning. Do not be alarmed by this. The swelling will resolve after you get out of bed. If this persists for more that three hours please call me. Do I have to stay in bed after my surgery? Gently get out of bed as soon as possible after your surgery. When you get up, sit with your legs hanging over the edge of the bed or chair for a few minutes before standing. This will help avoid problems with dizziness, light-headedness, and fainting. Have an adult assist you the bathroom the first few times. Always get out of bed to go to the bathroom. Begin to walk as much as possible as soon as you can after surgery. 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). Add to the petroleum jelly four times a day and whenever any drying of the crust is observed. Usually drying occurs around the mouth and eyes. This keeps the skin moist and it aids in healing. Be careful not to get the petroleum jelly in your eyes. Once the skin has started to heal (about seven days), you can switch to mineral oil. When can I shower after surgery? You may shower the day after your surgery. Wash your face and hair very gently. You do not need to remove all the petroleum jelly (Vaseline). Wash your face a second time during the day. You may use the antibacterial soap that you used before your surgery. Immediately after you wash your face, place a generous layer of petroleum jelly covered with Handiwrap. Do not take a bath or swim for one week. How long must I stay in town after surgery? If you live further than a one hour drive, you must stay in the area for one night. How long before I can travel? Traveling long distances or for long periods of time can be problematic after surgery. Generally, I do not recommend traveling longer than one hour for one week after surgery. When you do travel you must have help with your baggage (do not lift more that five pounds for three weeks) and you must get out of your seat and walk for five minutes every hour. Finally, you will not have the same energy level as you did immediately before your surgery. When can I drink alcohol? Do not consume any alcoholic drinks (including beer and wine) for 48 hours after surgery. In addition, do not have any alcoholic drinks while you are taking the prescription pain pills. The alcohol can interact with these medicines and lead to serious health problems and death. Finally, drink alcohol in moderation for three weeks. Excessive consumption can lead to a fall that could ruin the results of the surgery. When can I apply makeup after surgery? Makeup can be applied once the skin has healed. You will notice that the skin will become pink in color and dry to the touch. Be very careful in application and removal because the skin surface is fragile. How long must I be off work? 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 a week. If you do manual labor (i.e. entertainer, truck driver, or trainer), you must be off work for two weeks. Regardless of your employment, do not lift anything weighing more than five pounds for two weeks. When can I work out after laser resurfacing ? Generally, you can go back to working out two weeks after laser resurfacing. This depends on how you feel. Avoid contact sports for six weeks. Workouts must stop if you experience discomfort in your head or neck. A balance of rest and reduced activity will speed up your recovery. When can I have a massage? Body massage is very effective in relaxation. However, it cannot be done while the skin is healing. All therapeutic massage treatments of the face must be discontinued for at least three weeks. Can I use a heating pad on my face? Do not use a heating pad on your face for a full six months after your surgery. It is will not be possible for you to judge the temperature of the facial skin. This can lead to facial burns and terrible scarring. When can I have a permanent and hair coloring? You must wait six weeks after laser resurfacing surgery to have either a permanent or hair coloring. The chemicals used in these processes can irritate the healing skin during this time leading to hair loss and scarring. 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 your face for six months sun block and a hat. Better yet, stay in the shade where it's cooler! When will I see the final result of the surgery? Scar healing takes six months to a year. For this reason, you will not see the final result of your surgery for six months. During this time you will notice that the facial skin will become lighter in color. What should I do if I have questions? I care about you and your concerns very much. Please call me at any time you have any questions about your laser resurfacing. Call if you have any excessive swelling, bleeding, soreness, fever, chills redness, acne, cold sores, fever blisters, or unusual wound drainage. It is particularly important if symptoms are present in only one area of your face. During office hours (8:30AM to 4:30PM, Monday through Friday), call 952.449.4900 and we will answer your questions. After hours, first call me at my home number, 952.473.XXXX. If there is no answer, call my office at 952.449.4900 and leave a message. I will be paged. You may also reach me on my mobile phone at 612.803.XXXX When do I come back to the office for aftercare? Please call the office between 8:30AM and 4:30PM during the workweek to make an arrangements for me to see you the day after your surgery. Please call for appointments for follow up visits at one week, six weeks, six months, and twelve months. The reason for this extended care is because it takes six months to one year for complete healing to occur. It would be my pleasure to see you at any time to answer any questions about your laser resurfacing surgery or any other cosmetic surgery that you read or hear about. There are no charges for any of your aftercare office visits. © Copyright 1998 Bashioum Cosmetic Surgery Center, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.