Rhinoplasty Surgery | 12 Assured Tips to Prepare You to Undergo Safely

Rhinoplasty, also known as a nose job, is one of the most popular plastic surgeries in the whole world. It is usually performed for cosmetic reasons but can also be done to repair structural defects or problems with the nose. Although it is a fairly straightforward, outpatient procedure there are still some steps that you can take to prepare for a successful surgery. Here are a few helpful tips to follow before undergoing rhinoplasty.

Tips for Preparing to Undergo Rhinoplasty Surgery

Make sure you are fully prepared mentally for the surgery

Make sure you are relaxed and confident about the surgery. If you feel nervous or scared, be sure to talk to your surgeon about this. You can also talk to a therapist or someone that you trust to help you deal with your feelings.

Ask questions a day before the rhinoplasty surgery

You don’t want to go into your surgery feeling unsure or having unanswered questions. Make sure you have a full understanding of the procedure and the desired outcome before surgery day. On the day of your surgery, you don’t want to psych yourself out by having unanswered questions or doubts so talk to your surgeon as much as you need to in order to feel confident about your surgery.

Do research beforehand

Make sure you do plenty of research on the procedure that you are having and the surgeon that will be doing it. This can put your mind at ease because you will understand how the procedure works and know more about your surgeon’s background. Research can also point out questions that you didn’t know you needed to ask about.

Make sure you will have reliable assistance after surgery

One of the main reasons that this is important is because you won’t be allowed to drive yourself home or do a lot of physical activity after surgery. You will also want someone reliable and trustworthy who can run errands for you or handle any situations that arise as you recover since you will need to focus on your recovery.

If you can’t do errands beforehand, let your assistant help

During your recovery process, you are encouraged to not do too much physical activity so that your body can heal properly and as quickly as possible. Since you won’t be able to do a lot of physical activity during recovery, you may want to do as much as possible beforehand. This is an area where having an assistant after surgery is helpful. Your assistant can do some of these things while you are recovering if you don’t get a chance to do them beforehand.

Arrange to have time off from work after the surgery.

You will probably need to take off at least a week from work, possibly longer. This is especially important if you have a job that involves manual labor, face masks, or anything that can affect your nose. You will have swelling and bruising on your face so you may also want to stay home because of cosmetic reasons. You may want to make sure that you have financial assistance during this time if you don’t have money saved.

Change some of your habits before surgery

Medication, smoking, and eating habits must be changed before surgery because all of these can negatively affect you during or after the procedure. For medication and smoking, these will need to be changed a few weeks before surgery to make sure certain substances are out of your system. Eating habits will need to be changed the day of and after the surgery.

Medications

There are some medications that can have adverse effects on rhinoplasty surgery. They can thin the blood and cause excessive bleeding or even slow the healing process after surgery. Here is a list of medications to avoid before rhinoplasty surgery:

• Aspirin or anything that contains aspirin such as:
  • Alka-Seltzer, Pepto-Bismol, Excedrin, Mobigesic, Aspergum, and more.
• Medicines that contain nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents such as:
  • Motrin, Naproxen, Diclofenac, or any nasal sprays.
• All herbal and/or natural supplements, especially the ones that have blood-thinning properties.

Smoking Habits

You need to do this as early as possible, at least a minimum of two weeks before the surgery. Nicotine slows the healing process down and would have a major negative effect on rhinoplasty surgery. Besides slow healing, some of the complications that can occur for people who don’t stop smoking before their surgery include:

• Excessive scarring around the nose area
• An increased risk of infection
• Excessive bleeding
• Necrosis (dying skin cells)
• Constricted blood vessels

Eating Habits

It is very important to follow certain food guidelines before and after the surgery to avoid things like indigestion, high blood pressure, etc. On the day of your surgery, don’t eat any hard foods, spicy foods, highly acidic foods, or foods that cause indigestion. After the surgery, you should stick to soft foods for a while. Avoid too much chewing as it will aggravate your nose area. You also need to make sure to eat enough fiber because medications can cause constipation but fiber can help to relieve this.

Make sure you have comfortable pillows and bedding

After your surgery, you will need a lot of rest. You will also need to sleep on your back and to keep your head elevated. Having comfortable pillows and bedding can make the rest and recovery process go a lot smoother. It is better than an uncomfortable sleeping situation.

Ensure Safety

Getting a nose job can be very exciting (or scary) but you always want the procedure to be safe. As with any surgery, it is important to follow the preparation steps. Also, having the procedure performed by a highly qualified surgeon is important. Dr. Andrew Frankel is a board-certified, award-winning, world-renowned plastic surgeon specializing in rhinoplasty in Los Angeles. He maintains an office and research clinic in Beverly Hills, California.