Lifestyle Changes Patients Should Make before Plastic Surgery By Dr. Suzanne Yee on August 16, 2016

Dr. Suzanne Yee is one of the rare plastic surgeons who cares about patients not only on a professional level, but also on a personal level. When she performs facial plastic surgery, cosmetic breast surgery, or a body contouring procedure, she invests everything she has into making that procedure a success. She understands the level of commitment that her patients have made, and she takes the trust they have placed in her very seriously. Only when they emerge from surgery satisfied with their results is she satisfied.

However, as Dr. Yee makes clear to her patients before they commit to undergoing any procedure, the success of their surgery is not reliant upon her skills and talents alone. Successful plastic surgery is a partnership between the surgeon and the patient. The surgeon must bring her knowledge, passion, technological resources, surgical skills, and keen aesthetic eye to every procedure she performs. The patient, on the other hand, must bring a willingness and ability to follow the pre- and post-surgical instructions provided to him or her by the surgeon to the absolute letter in order to ensure proper and timely healing and the best possible results. This includes possibly making lifestyle changes that will involve some personal, and potentially difficult, sacrifices.

Dr. Yee openly and honestly discusses lifestyle changes patients should make before plastic surgery during consultations at her Little Rock, AR plastic surgery practice. Some of these changes are detailed below and may or may not relate to you specifically; others that will relate to you specifically can be discussed during a confidential, one-on-one consultation. We invite you to schedule yours today.

What Lifestyle Changes Should Patients Make Prior to Undergoing Plastic Surgery?

Before undergoing any plastic surgery procedure, patients should make any of the following lifestyle changes that apply to them:

Quit smoking: Setting aside the generally harmful effects that smoking can have on a person’s health, it can contribute to complications during surgery and interfere with healing after surgery. Its effects on the body’s immune system dramatically increase the risk of infection, bleeding, and other side effects. Patients who cannot quit smoking permanently must at least be willing to do so before surgery and during their recovery phase. They must also realize that they could compromise the longevity of their results by resuming their habit.
Stop drinking alcohol: While a glass of wine with dinner every night certainly isn’t a problem in general, you will not be able to drink any alcohol at all during your recovery from surgery. Therefore, it is probably best to stop before your surgery and resume drinking only in moderation, if at all, after your recovery.
Start exercising: If you don’t have an exercise regimen at present, start one. Even if you just walk 30 minutes a day, you will be preparing yourself for a healthier post-surgical lifestyle. You will be encouraged to walk during your recovery, and when you get the go-ahead from Dr. Yee to do more strenuous exercise, a steady regimen will help you to maintain your results.