With cosmetic you search for an ideal of beauty and well-being. As it is a surgery desired by someone and not aimed at curing any disease or deformity, it must be properly planned and performed under ideal conditions . How to make these plans, prepare the return home after surgery and find the best time of the year to perform it, are important issues so that everything runs smoothly. What needs to be done before surgery? When preparing for your surgery, there are several factors to take into account, which should be discussed with your surgeon , and which also depend on the specific intervention to be performed: Preoperative medical exams and pre-anesthetic consultation; Need to suspend medication; Eating or other habits to change; Need to purchase compressive garments to use during the postoperative period; Medicines, technical aids and other treatments that may be necessary. How to prepare the return home? Needs after returning home depend on limitations imposed by the type of surgery performed . Thus, your return home after discharge may have to be prepared with the following precautions: Accompaniment by a responsible adult from discharge and during the first nights, capable of helping with mobilization and contacting the hospital if necessary; Appropriately adapted and comfortable vehicle, which in most cases can be a common car with a reclining seat, for the day of discharge and for the return to the hospital on the days indicated for dressings and consultations; Bed and/or armchair with pillows capable of support the positions indicated by your surgeon; Support for hygiene in the first days to avoid wetting dressings and compressive garments; Not having to carry out professional tasks, take care of other family members or household routines, particularly those that demand physical exertion or exaggerated movements; Fresh and airy environment with the possibility of regular walking and easy access to the outside. What is the best time of year to have cosmetic surgery? In general, the best time to have your cosmetic surgery will be the one that allows you to meet the conditions mentioned above . For this reason, professional and family constraints and those resulting from the intervention itself, should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and considered with your surgeon, to assess the best time of year to have your surgery: Vacations from professional activity can be used or avoided, depending on individual preferences; The postoperative period may require a period of sick leave at home, which should be considered taking into account the specific professional circumstances; School holidays can be the opportune time, as they represent greater support from the family at home or because of the break in the routine of having to take the children to school; With the good conditions that current housing allows, hot weather no longer represents an inconvenience to perform cosmetic surgery during the summer months, and there is no evidence of a greater risk of infection; Currently, the postoperative period without showering is much shorter, so the discomfort associated with perspiration is not significant. How to choose the place to do the cosmetic surgery? Ideally, this type of intervention should be done : In a properly equipped operating room, preferably in a hospital environment; By a specialized medical team duly trained in the procedure to be performed; Led by a specialist in plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery. Also remember that… The recovery period to be able to resume social life, namely to go to the beach, is increasingly reduced in view of increasingly safer and less invasive procedures . Thus, having cosmetic surgery does not, in most cases, prevent you from enjoying your holidays, as long as they are adapted and planned in accordance with your surgeon instructions. After a year of taking care of the family, maybe this is the best time to take care of yourself. Author : Alberto Rocha Pereira Meet the reconstructive and aesthetic plastic surgery clinical team from Hospital da Luz network. The content published in the Health Guide is intended for the general public and is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It does not replace individual medical assessment, diagnosis, or personalized clinical advice from a qualified healthcare professional. The content is produced or reviewed by physicians and other healthcare professionals at Hospital da Luz and is based on the knowledge available at the time of publication or the most recent update, as indicated at the beginning of each item.
