1. PLEASE START WALKING IMMEDIATELY upon arrival to your home the afternoon /evening of surgery. You must start to get out of bed and walk immediately to reduce the chances of developing a blood clot in your legs that can travel to your heart/lungs and be potentially fatal.
2. Please resume your blood pressure medication after surgery and take it as usual.
3. DO NOT travel outside of Miami, FL for 5-7 days after surgery. Doing so will put you at an unnecessarily increased risk of developing a blood clot that can travel to your heart/lungs and be potentially fatal.
a. When you go back home after waiting the full 5 days after surgery you MUST stand and walk once every hour while on ANY form of transportation. That means if you are driving you must stop the car and walk every hour on the ride home.
b. If you decide to travel before the 5 days of surgery your operation will be canceled.
c. If you travel before the 5 days without the knowledge of the surgeon you are assuming all risks which can include but are not limited to, blood clots, stroke, heart attack and possible death.
4. NO lifting of any objects > 5 pounds for the first 6 weeks after surgery.
5. NO bending at the waist or performing chores at home including emptying the dishwasher, bending over to fold laundry, using a mop/vacuum/broom, straining to reach an object overhead in a cabinet, etc…Please use common sense and do not perform any vigorous movement or activity for 6 weeks. After the 6 weeks, you can be cleared for activity after discussion with your surgeon’s office.
6. DO NOT shower or wet any of your wounds for 24 hours after your operation. Once 24 hours have passed you can gently shower your wounds and clean them with warm soap and water ONLY.
a. DO NOT rub your wounds aggressively and do not remove any steri strips (if they were used for your particular surgery).
7. DO NOT apply any creams, antibacterial products/ointments, scar creams, or any natural remedies (ex: arnica) on your wounds until the surgeon has allowed you to do so and has examined all of your wounds.
8. DO NOT soak your wounds in any body of water to include: pool, bathtub, ocean/beach, jacuzzi, hot tub, or even expose yourself to a sauna for 6 weeks after surgery!!!
9. Wear comfortable and loose-fitting clothes that do not require lifting your arms above your head to put on clothing. This will decrease the chances of stretching and disrupting your healing wounds.
a. Liposuction patients ALL require compression garments to be worn for at minimum one month but preferably 6 weeks after surgery 23 hours a day (we will let you know more details during your follow-up visits). After 6 weeks, you can use the compression garments for 12 hours a day for another 6 more weeks. After that, use the garment as needed.
b. Drainage and lymphatic massages are encouraged. At a minimum 10 massages are recommended during the first 3 weeks post-op for all liposuction surgery patients. Then continue as needed to decrease inflammation and prevent fibrosis.
10. For face procedures: NO makeup, eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, lipstick, etc for 4 weeks after surgery.
a. Facelift patients must avoid placing any jewelry on their neck or ears until having seen the surgeon.
b. You must avoid any and all sun exposure until cleared by the surgeon.
