Healing after many plastic surgery procedures is uneventful and expected. However, certain types of patients and plastic surgery procedures result in outcomes that have wound healing problems. While not all wound healing complications can be prevented, some can be averted or lessened in their severity by preoperative preparation
I like to think of major plastic surgery operations as athletic events. You must prepare for them. Better preparation means better outcomes. Better healing occurs when you are better able to optimize your immune system to avoid infections, encourage healing of tissues, and build strength and endurance. This effect can be stimulated by three fundamental issues…….nutrition, rest, and exercise. Inadequate nutrition, lousy sleep, and physical deconditioning are all threats to optimal healing. In short, how you eat, how you sleep, and how you move BEFORE plastic surgery will have an impact on how you heal AFTER plastic surgery.
From a nutritional standpoint, there are certain foods that can make you heal better. Those foods that contain high levels of protein and Vitamins A and C are of most importance. Protein provides the building blocks for making cells, which are the foundation of tissue creation and healing. In preparing for major plastic surgery at least 50 grams per day is ideal. Animal and plant proteins are widely available , but plant proteins such as nuts and beans are preferred due to other components (phytochemicals) which help healing as well. Many foods contain vitamins but supplements are the most assured way to get what you need. A good multivitamin with high levels of A,C, and zinc will help healing.
Evidence continues to mount that adequate sleep is as important as nutrition for proper body functioning. Yet many people don’t get enough. While each person is different, most people need six to eight hours of sleep a night. While it is normal to be anxious and have difficulty sleeping the night before surgery, inadequate sleep in the weeks before surgery weakens one’s immune system.
Exercise is not only good for physical conditioning and one’s longevity but also helps one heal faster. Even mild exercise stimulates the development of blood vessels and collagen which helps knit healing tissues together. Getting in shape, so to speak, before your surgery strengthens muscles and the joints which surround a surgery site, enabling one to get moving quicker after surgery. At the very least, the improved blood flow that comes from being in good physical condition before surgery helps brings in a steady supply of nutrients to the injured tissues after surgery.
Good nutrition, adequate sleep and some level of physical conditioning places the patient in a state for less wound complications and a quicker recovery. Not all plastic surgeries absolutely require this approach, particularly facial surgery where recovery is more social than physical. But when it comes to body plastic surgery, particularly liposuction, tummy tucks, and body lifts for example, the wounds created involve large surface areas of tissue and recovery is definitely a substantial physical event.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana