Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Plastic Surgery

How long must the patient stay in Cali?
For patients from another continent, it is necessary to stay in Cali five days before the surgery and eleven days after the procedure. For patients coming from the same continent, we recommend being two days before surgery and eleven days after the procedure.
The exact number of days also depends on the type of procedure.

What should the patient wear on the day of surgery?
We recommend bringing comfortable clothes the day of surgery, it could be a sport outfit not too tight and easy to put on. For patients having breast surgery its best to use a shirt with buttons in front to avoid moving excessively the arms and take into account the size of the shirt that must fit the new breast size (avoid T-shirts).
Abstain from bringing any accessories like earrings, watches or jewelry.
On the day of surgery, hand and feet nails must be without nail polish.

What kinds of lab tests are necessary before having a plastic surgery?
The lab tests are made for routine to observe levels of:
-    Hematology (White Corpuscles, Red Corpuscles, Hemoglobin, Platelets, etc.).
-    Glycemia (Level of blood sugar).
-    Tests of Kidneys performance (Creatinine and Urea).
-    Coagulation Tests (PT and PTT).

Why are pictures taken?
Frequently pictures of the treated area are taken for technical support, before and after surgery or just as a photographical pre and post surgical register.

How many days must a patient rest after a surgery?
The number of days will depend on the type of surgery and it can go from 3 to 10 days according to the patient’s metabolism. Rest does not necessarily have to be absolute, in other words permanently rest in bed, or relative, where activities that don’t require great efforts are recommended and others are restricted like: high impact sports, lifting heavy things and driving.
Regarding physical exercises, they can be resumed approximately four weeks after; but this rule can change depending on the type of surgery and each patient’s body behavior.

What medicines are prescribed after surgery?
In general terms all surgeries can produce some transitory inconveniences; in most postoperative tolerable discomforts. Any way there is a large variety of medicines available for pain, which will vary depending on each patient and his/her response to these factors.
Normally analgesics are prescribed and some times anti-inflammatory, preferably of enzyme type which stimulate decrease of inflammation and tissue recovery in a more natural and physiological way.

Can complementary medicines be used after surgery?
Some medicines are recommended to strengthen the body to an optimal point for surgery and the postoperative.
-    Vitamin C: to reinforce coagulation, stimulate the immunological system (defenses) and to optimize scar formation.
-    Arnica: from a plant, this product reduces in an important way the appearance of “bruises” (ecchymosis). And as an anti-inflammatory it can be used externally putting it on pads on the bruised areas.
-    Pot marigold: for thousands of year’s pot marigold has been used for medicinal purposes and in beauty products, it can be used over the irritated skin due to its ant inflammatory power.

What local cares must the patient have after surgery?
After any procedure the patient must have periodic cleansings of the resulting wounds. These are made by the doctor in his office or the clinic. The most important aspect in healing is the cleansing or washing of the surgical wounds. Sometimes they can be covered with cream, gauze or dressings and in other cases the wounds are left uncovered.
The use of local cold is frequently indicated to decrease inflammation and pain.
It is also recommended to avoid direct sun exposure during four to twelve weeks, preventing more inflammation and the appearance of stains (hyper pigmentation) in recent scared areas or that persists with some bruise (ecchymosis).

When must the patient go back to the doctor after the surgery?
A periodic postoperative medical control is very important because only this way the surgeon can have an adequate vision of the evolution process, allowing him to make the necessary adjustments of the recommendations and in the indicated medical treatment.
Another important reason to keep in tight contact with the patient is the emotional support, which generates reliability and safety in this important stage of the surgical process. The patient must attend his/her first check up appointment less than five days after the surgery.

How must the patients diet after surgery?
In some cases we recommend the patient to eat foods that don’t require a big effort to chew (Facial surgery) or easily digestible (Abdominal surgery). The patient must not restrict his/her diet during the postoperative because it’s very important for recovering the intervened tissues; it could cause weakness, nausea and slow scaring. Balanced and common sense diets are recommended and not diets that restrict too much consumption; these diets generally propose transitory limitations promising a quick weight loss but when resuming the old habits will lose all the effort.
In general terms we recommend not starving, just reducing substantially simple carbohydrates like: refined sugar, white bread, pasta and refined corn flour and replacing them with complex carbohydrates as those found in all integral products and changing refined sugar for low calorie sweeteners.
Increase the intake of proteins (meat, chicken, turkey, eggs, fish, seafood, milk and dairy products) in each meal, making them predominant over the carbohydrates and accompanied with integral products and vegetables. Never skip a meal and less breakfast because the body interprets it as an emergency and slows down the metabolism, therefore storing more and burning fewer calories.
The meaning of the word diet regarding restriction produces hunger and stress. Therefore it’s more convenient and efficient to change our eating habits.

Why is it important to use girdles or post surgical garments?
One of the postoperative cares in some procedures such as Liposuction and Abdominoplasty is the use of girdles, which aims to put moderate pressure over areas that have been “emptied” or “lift off” by those procedures, and maintain “closed” the resulting spaces.
The pressure put by these elements must always be moderate and periodically controlled by the surgeon who will recommend the necessary adjustments.

Why is it important to NOT smoke?
This recommendation is important because, among other reasons the harmful effect of the cigarette’s toxins over the microcirculation reduces tissue nutrition and oxygenation which affects the recovery process and scaring.

What is lymphatic drainage?
It is one of the most recommended resources to speed up the recovery process and make it more comfortable for the patient. This practice is justified due to its ability to stimulate the flow of lymphatic fluids throughout the temporarily harmed tubes because of the surgical trauma.
Lymphatic drainage is not a common massage though it can be combined with one in certain areas, besides it must be practiced by hand by specially trained professionals.
The ideal moment to start Lymphatic Drainage as well as its frequency and number of sessions will be determined by the doctor according to his experience, adjusting in each case and taking into account the therapist’s opinion.
It is not advisable to initiate lymphatic drainage before six to eight days of postoperative because the early manipulation of certain areas can cause seroma, the accumulation of serum fluid.