Facelift: Your Surgical Experience
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The goal of your plastic surgeon and the entire staff is to make your
surgical experience as easy and comfortable for you as possible.
How should I prepare for surgery?
If you are a smoker, you will be asked to stop smoking well in advance of
surgery. Aspirin and certain anti-inflammatory drugs can cause increased
bleeding, so you should avoid taking these medications for a period of time
before surgery. your surgeon will advise you and provide additional preoperative
instructions. If your hair if very short, you may want to let it grow enough to
cover your incisions while they heal. If you are overweight and you have a
realistic desire to lose more than 15 pounds, you should discuss this with your
surgeon.
If your facelift will be performed on an outpatient basis, be sure to arrange
for someone to drive you home and to stay with you at least the first night
following surgery.
What will the day of surgery be like?
Your facelift may be performed in a hospital, free-standing ambulatory
facility or office-based surgical suite.
Medications are administered for your comfort during the surgical procedure.
You and your plastic surgeon will have decided in advance what type of
anesthesia is to be used, either intravenous sedation or general anesthesia. For
your safety during the operation, various monitors are used to check your heart,
blood pressure, pulse and the amount of oxygen circulation in your blood.
When surgery is completed, you will be taken into a recovery area where you
will continue to be closely monitored. A bandage may have been wrapped around
your face to be closely monitored. Sometimes small tubes will have been inserted
beneath the skin to drain away fluids that might otherwise accumulate, but you
will not feel these at all. It fact, there is surprisingly little discomfort
from the surgery.
You probably will be permitted to go home after a few hours, although some
patients may stay overnight in the hospital or surgical facility.
The 2200-member American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) is the
only plastic surgery organization devoted entirely to the advancement of
cosmetic surgery. ASAPS is recognized throughout the world as the authoritative
source for cosmetic surgery education. U.S. members are certified by the
American Board of Plastic Surgery. Canadian members are certified in plastic
surgery by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Toll-free
referral line: 888.ASAPS.11 (272.7711). Web site: www.surgery.org
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