General Health Advice.
There are several things which you can do to keep health and prepare yourself to optimise your results:
Stop smoking; cigarette smoke contains many different chemicals which can interfere with blood supply and narrow your blood vessels. The operated area needs a very good blood supply to heal and every cigarette smoked reduces the blood supply to the operated area and increases the risk of you developing a complication. Complications can be as much as 60 times higher in smokers than non-smokers. The longer you can give up for before surgery the better and the longer you can abstain for after surgery the better.
Lose weight; fat tends to have a poorer blood supply than other tissue. The more fat there is, the less the blood supply and the greater the chance of a complication. Thus getting your weight down to, or close to, your ideal weight reduces your risks of developing a complication. However, it is a bad idea to “crash diet” before surgery as your body will need a healthy diet to heal properly afterwards.
Get fit; the body sees any surgical procedure as a stressful event. The fitter you are, the more able your body is to cope with this stress, and the more likely you are to sail through your operation without problems. Furthermore, if you are undergoing certain procedures such as a tummy tuck or TRAM flap breast reconstruction, working to build up certain muscles before surgery can speed up your recovery time. This will be discussed at consultation.
Avoid aspirin; aspirin is an extremely useful medicine, but it does tend to increase the risk of bleeding, which is not a good thing prior to undergoing a procedure
Avoid or certainly limit alcohol on the night before surgery.
Do not wear makeup: If you are attending for any facial procedure you can wear make up prior to the procedure, but immediately afterwards should only use mineral based products. Instructions specific to the procedure will in any event be provided
f you have a long-standing medical problem such as diabetes, asthma, thyroid problems, epilepsy or high blood pressure (hypertension) you should go to your GP for a check up