General Preparation
- Please arrange to have a responsible adult drive you to surgery and take you home when you are discharged. You may not drive until your doctor clears you to do so. You may not take public transportation, such as Uber or Lyft, home. This is for your safety, as anesthesia or sedation may temporarily impair your judgment, perception, and dexterity.
- A responsible adult must spend the first 24 hours with you and bring you to your first post-operative appointment.
- The surgery time that is assigned to you before surgery is tentative. The hospital where you are having surgery will call you the day before your surgery to confirm arrival time and surgery time. The surgery schedule may occasionally change on the day of surgery, so your designated driver must be available in the event there are changes to your surgery schedule.
- As you may not have much appetite the first few days following surgery, it is recommended that you have light foods available, such as yogurt, Jello, pudding, crackers, ginger ale, soups, etc.
Three to Four Weeks Before Surgery
- Please pick up all of your prescriptions prior to the surgery date and buy any other supplies that have been suggested by your doctor or his staff.
- If you normally take prescription medications in the morning, please let your surgeon and anesthesiologist know, and he/she will determine whether or not you can take them or need to postpone them until after surgery.
- Eat a well balanced diet high in protein and vegetables.
- If you smoke, please stop smoking immediately. Please also stop all other forms of nicotine, including chewing tobacco, cigars, vaping, etc. Please avoid smoking marijuana. Secondhand smoke of any type should be avoided as well. Smoking increases the amount of mucus in your lungs and decreases the circulation of oxygen to your tissues, placing you at greater risk for developing lung complications and delayed or inadequate healing. Smoking will also increase your risk of infections. You may be required to have a cotinine test prior to surgery. If your cotinine test comes back as positive, your surgery may be canceled or rescheduled.
- Make sure you have gotten all the required laboratory tests, imaging, or medical clearances as requested by your surgeon.
Two Weeks Before Surgery
- Do NOT take Aspirin, Advil, Excedrin, Aleve, Naproxen, Motrin, Ibuprofen, or any other anti-inflammatory medications during the two (2) weeks prior to surgery unless instructed otherwise by your doctor. This helps lessen your chance of bleeding. Tylenol may be taken if needed.
- Do NOT take any herbal or dietary supplements (such as Vitamin E, multi-vitamins, fish oil, white willow bark, etc.)
- Please discontinue any form of estrogen-containing hormone treatment including birth control and hormone replacement therapy, diet pills, and fat burners at least two (2) weeks prior to surgery unless instructed otherwise by your doctor. This helps lessen your chance of blood clots.
- Avoid sunbathing or excessive sun exposure for two (2) weeks prior to surgery. This includes the use of tanning salons.
One Week Before Surgery
- A representative from the surgical facility may call you with further specific instructions. This call may occur two (2) weeks to the night prior to your procedure.
Day Before Surgery
- You must NOT have any food or liquids after midnight unless told otherwise by your surgeon. This includes NO water, milk, coffee, tea, hard candy, ice chips, breath mints, or chewing gum. Your stomach must be empty as a precaution against vomiting and other complications during your operation.
- If you are going to stay at the hospital after surgery, please pack a small bag as you would if you were staying overnight in a hotel. Make sure that you bring the medications that were prescribed for you and any regular medications you would be taking if you were at home.
- You are to shower the night before surgery.
- Review all of your pre- and post- operative instructions with your caretaker, including when to take your medications and what you can and cannot do after surgery.
- You may receive a call the day prior to your surgery to confirm your appointment. This call may be an automated message from the surgery facility.
- Due to circumstances beyond our control, we occasionally must cancel cases or rearrange surgery times. This could affect your arrival time.
The Day of Your Surgery
- You are to take a shower the morning of surgery. Wash your hair. It will be a couple of days before you are able to get back in the shower.
- If you are on your period the day of surgery, do not use a tampon that day. Please use a pad.
- Do NOT apply deodorant.
- Do NOT apply lotions, creams, moisturizers, or sunscreens.
- Do NOT wear any makeup.
- You can brush your teeth, but please don’t swallow any water.
- You may take your morning medications with a small sip of water if instructed to do so by your surgeon or anesthesiologist.
- Wear casual, loose-fitting clothing. Come to the hospital with something that buttons down or zips up the front. Don’t wear anything that you have to pull over the head to put on. Wear pants that are easy to pull on, and flat shoes that are easy to put on. The clothing that will be covering your surgical area must be loose enough to accommodate a bulky padded dressing. It is wise to wear something dark in color because the skin preparation solution may cause staining of light colored clothes.
- Bring a case for your contacts or eyeglasses, as you will not be able to wear them during surgery.
- Please leave all of your valuables at home.
- All jewelry, including pierced earrings and other body piercings, must be removed.
- Please arrive on time.
- Please bring your photo ID and your insurance card with you for surgery.
- We must be able to reach you the day of surgery. You must keep your cell phone on so that we can contact you if there is a change in the surgery schedule.
Surgery
- When you arrive, the nurse will bring you back to the preop area, get you changed into a gown, start an IV, and your surgeon will meet you at bedside for markings.
- Your anesthesiologist will meet with you, obtain consent, and assist you into the operating room.
After Surgery
- You’ll be in the recovery area for approximately 1 to 1.5 hours.
- The operating room nurse will call your caregiver and let them know the time for them to pick you up.
- Your specific post-operative instructions will be given to you after surgery and at your follow-up appointments.
- Your first post-operative visit will typically be 1-3 days after surgery. Your second post-operative visit will be approximately one week after surgery.
Please note:
- All hospital facility fees and anesthesia fees are included in your surgery pricing. These will be paid by our office. If, for any reason, you receive a bill from the hospital or anesthesia team, please let our office know first, before paying the bill, so we can help to rectify this for you.
We are here for you if you have any concerns or questions. Please call, text, or email our Post-Op Care Team:
PURE Cosmetic Center
(978) 800-1680
surgery@purecosmeticcenter.com
