Recovering from any surgical procedure is a balance act between providing your body the time it needs to heal properly, and getting active as soon as possible.
Rest: Try to mostly stay in bed or on the couch with your head comfortably elevated, and a few pillows under your knees. This will help to keep your chest slightly elevated and reduce the stress on the skin of your belly.
The skin in the tummy area will have been stretched at the end of your surgery, so reducing the tension on the incision will help with blood flow and further reduce the chances of any complications.
Exercise: During these first few days you should be very careful when moving around. While walking is recommended, too much movement this early in your recovery can cause friction between the skin and underlying muscles, rather than them knitting together. This can lead to fluid or blood build-up beneath the skin, known as seromas and hematomas. The purpose of the drains is to help pump the fluid out of the body, but if you move too much, fluid will build-up despite the drains.
Diet: You’ll most likely be able to return to your normal diet, but be sure to drink a lot of fluids, including juices or isotonic beverages, especially during the first 72 hours.
Compression garments and drains: During these first few days of recovery you’ll probably be instructed to wear a compression garment. This helps to reduce swelling and prevents harmful fluid build-ups. You should wear the garment 24 hours a day during this initial recovery period.
Don’t remove it for at least the first five days, except when showering. If it causes itchy or uncomfortable sensation, you can wear a thin tight cotton shirt underneath it. Your compression garment should fit snugly but not impede your breathing or be painful. If it is, please tell your surgeon. They may provide you with a different one.
If one or two drains were placed during surgery, you will need to take care of them. The drain bulb will need to be emptied as it fills, and the amount of fluid should be measured and recorded. This information is important for your surgeon to assess how you’re healing and to resolve any problems before they become serious. This process will have to be repeated several times until the drain can be removed, which may be a few days to a week or more.
Pain management : After abdominoplasty it’s normal to have pain and discomfort. Don’t be afraid to take your pain management medication as prescribed by your surgeon. Some patients might be given a pain pump designed to treat the area with a local anesthetic. Be sure to discuss about pain medication with your surgeon, but you should be able to combine approved pain pills with the pain pump without any problems. These two types of pain medication are very different, so they won’t react negatively with one another, and combining them can help speed up your recovery.
Follow-up appointments : Some time within the first 5 days or so you’ll most likely have your first post-op follow up appointment. Most people will have their drains and pain pumps removed during this meeting. Once all the tubes, drains, and pumps are fully removed you’ll feel a bit better, and a lot more mobile. Your surgeon will then discuss the plan for the rest of your recovery with you.
Breast Augmentation and swelling: What you see immediately after your breast augmentation is not what you will end up with — swelling will make your breasts appear much larger than anticipated and they will be higher than expected for several weeks or months until they fall into place. The swelling will settle within three to four months, although you probably won’t know your final bra size for sure until six months after the bandages come off.
Pain: Most women who have undergone breast augmentation in Limassol by Dr Economou, will tell you that the surgery was less painful than they expected; also worth mentioning is the stiffness and the bruising for the first few days.
Drainage tubes: Depending on the surgeon’s preferences and experience, drainage tubes may be used to reduce the risk of fluid build up around the implant to prevent a capsule from forming. Dr Economou will not use them in breast augmentation surgery, for longer than necessary because they can introduce bacteria.
Extended recovery time: After 24 hours, you will be able to resume everyday activities, and return to work within three to seven days. But the swelling and mild discomfort will remain for weeks, and your activities will be restricted. For example, you won’t be able to sleep on your stomach or exercise vigorously for several weeks.
Loose clothing: Loose tops, zippered sweat shirts, and button-up blouses are recommended for your post-surgical wardrobe. However, any item of clothing that you can put on and take off without raising your arms or making an exaggerated movement is preferred. You will have a postoperative garment or sports bra that zips at the front to provide your new breasts with support.
No alcohol: Abstain from drinking for at least two weeks after your breast augmentation in Cyprus, to minimize the risk of bleeding and promote healing of your wounds.
Difficulty showering: Lifting your arms to wash your hair, bending down to wash your feet, and reaching around to wash your back must be avoided during your initial recovery period. With that in mind, you may want to stock up on dry shampoo or have a close friend or your caretaker help you with bathing. You’ll likely be restricted to sponge baths until your surgeon gives the green light to step into the shower. When showering, it is important to face away from the water spray and carefully dry incisions if they get wet.
Light exercise: You can forget the gym for a few weeks after your breast augmentation in Limassol. Lifting arms above your head and objects heavier than five pounds is generally not allowed for two weeks. However, general movement is encouraged to promote circulation.
New bras: After your surgery, you will have to wait four to six weeks until you can trade the sports bra for new lingerie. In the meantime, make sure your sports bras provide sufficient support and do not rub your incisions.
Living in Cyprus is a blessing in many aspects. The freedom to comfortably enjoy the outdoors during the biggest part of the year.
Our skin is the first barrier to the harmful effects of the environment. Firstly, it acts as a filter for the harmful UV radiation and effectivelly does so. However as a filter it has it’s limitations. The sun’s radiation injures our skin. Our skin repairs up to a point after which skin cancer could occur.
We have learned in the last few years that not only is the sun’s UV radiation is potentially harmful in large doses, it also causes additive damage to one’s skin cells. This means that as our life expectancy has increased so did the incidence of skin cancer relating to UVR (Ultraviolet Radiation) exposure. In addition we have become more adept to identifying skin lesions more often. Also the increase in popularity of outdoor activities is a factor that plays a role in the increase seen over the last few decades in the occurence of skin cancer.
The goal is to avoid exposing our skin to the sun’s harmful UV Radiation especially at times when it is at its peak from 10:00 to 16:00. Always wear protective clothing even when enjoying the sea like lycra UV tops. You should wear sunscreen daily, investing in a sunscreen is recommended to be a part of your skin care routine.
In conclusion, despite the above measures we take to protect our skin from sun damage the skin’s capacity to filter UV radiation is limited. As a result your skin could experience damage of varying degree. It is important to note and remember.
* ABCDE of skin lesions : Asymmetries, uneven borders, color variation, diameter more than a pencil butt i.e. 6mm, evolution in how they look or act i.e. shape, size, new onset of symptoms like scratching, bleeding.
* Wear protective clothing, sunscreen and avoid sun exposure during 10:00 to 16:00 especially during the summer.
* Any skin scrape that does not heal in a month needs to be seen by a doctor.
* Get treatment for any suspicious lesions by a certified and experienced physician.
