You’ve wanted to do something about your nose for years. After consulting with a professional like Dr.Kristina Zakhary, a facelift surgeon, it’s confirmed that you are a candidate for rhinoplasty. With the date set and all the preliminaries taken care of, your attention turns to what should happen during the recovery period. Here are four of the main suggestions that you should follow if you want to keep the possibility of complications at bay.
Keep Your Head Elevated
Even as you rest in the days after the procedure, make sure that your head is elevated. This is true when you stretch out on the sofa to watch television or when you go to bed at night. Ensure that at all times your head remains a little higher than the rest of the body.
Why does this matter? It helps to keep pressure off the surgical area and aids in reducing the swelling. It also helps to reduce the potential for infection. While it may not always be convenient, know that it won’t be long before you can once again lay flat to your heart’s content.
Use Painkillers Only as Directed
Your surgeon will likely provide a prescription for some type of painkiller. Be sure that you only use it when necessary. When the day is going well and the discomfort is minimal, it’s usually fine to delay taking the painkiller, unless it also has properties designed to help with the swelling and reduce the risk of infection. Your surgeon can confirm if the medication is strictly for pain or if it serves additional purposes.
It’s also important to use no more than the maximum allowed per day. If you find that the prescription doesn’t seem to be enough to keep the discomfort at bay, don’t take it upon yourself to indulge in a little more. Call the surgeon and describe what’s happening. An adjustment in the dosage may be in order, or the surgeon may want to switch you to a different painkiller. The goal is to ensure that you don’t become too dependent on the medication while still making you as comfortable as possible.
Stay Hydrated
Water is your best friend right now. Something that keeps you hydrated but is free of caffeine is a smart move. Flavored waters are often a good choice if you would like some variety. Rest assured that the surgeon will let you know when it’s safe to resume the use of any type of caffeinated beverage, alcoholic drinks, and other products that you normally consume.
Baths are Better Than Showers
Remember the need to keep your head elevated? You also want the surgical site to remain protected as much as possible. For this reason, skip the showers for now. Treat yourself to a tub bath instead.
Doing so makes it all the easier to ensure that your face receives a minimum of exposure to hot water. It will also be easier to keep the bandaging dry while you bathe.
There are a number of other tips and instructions that your rhinoplasty surgeon will provide. Make sure that you follow all of them to the letter. Doing so will increase the odds that your recovery proceeds without any complications.