A Quick Guide To Preparing For A Rhinoplasty 

Rhinoplasty is a procedure done to manipulate the shape of one’s nose. A person can go through rhinoplasty if they have breathing problems or just would like to enhance the appearance of their nose. This can help to boost a person’s self-confidence while also allowing them to breathe better. If you’re planning to have one, you should prepare yourself as this will be invasive surgery.  

Achieving the perfect nose can be possible with rhinoplasty. After booking your appointment, you should thoroughly prepare your body for effective surgery and a quick recovery. Moreover, below are some quick guides to preparing for a rhinoplasty: 

Don’t Smoke

Smoking is generally bad for you. But if you’re going through rhinoplasty, you should avoid smoking at all costs, as it can cause more harm to your body, leading to a poor recovery period. When you smoke, your blood vessels reduce oxygen flow and become constricted. This might affect your recovery period while also leading to scarring and skin loss as your body cannot heal properly. Moreover, smoking can also minimize the effectiveness of the anesthesia, which can lead to infection or severe bleeding.  

Prepare For Fasting 

Since rhinoplasty is a surgery, you’ll need to go under anesthesia to block out any pain and keep yourself comfortable. Moreover, it also temporarily blocks your body’s reflexes, including your stomach. To prevent yourself from involuntary vomiting or bringing up your food and drink back to your throat, you’ll need to fast before the procedure. In most cases, you’ll need to begin fasting at least six hours before your surgery, depending on your doctor’s instructions.  

Before the fast, prepare your body for the day and make sure you eat well. You also need to keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of water.  

Focus On Your Hydration 

Generally, you should keep yourself hydrated at all times. However, since you’re undergoing surgery, you should keep yourself extra hydrated to avoid complications and speed up your recovery. Proper hydration can help prevent potential complications during your surgery, such as vein thrombosis, which is a clot. During this period, you should consume about twice how much water you usually drink.  

Additionally, you should also avoid drinking any alcoholic beverages as they can leave you dehydrated. For a safer option, you should only drink water for at least a week before your surgery.  

Get Plenty Of Rest 

Your body needs all the energy it can get to help you recover better after surgery. Having enough energy allows your body to work better and helps you to recover faster and more appropriately. With that, you should get plenty of rest at least one week before your surgery. This includes getting enough sleep and avoiding stress. Moreover, you need to ensure that you get a healthy amount of sleep and not just short naps, as they won’t keep your body well-rested.

Clean Your Face Regularly 

Keeping your face clean can help to minimize infections and give your doctor a clean base on what they need to work on. Ideally, you should only use gentle facial cleansers or natural ingredients to wash your face twice a week, at least seven days before your surgery. It’s also best to avoid using topical creams, such as salicylic acid, Retin-A, or benzol peroxide, as they can make your skin extra sensitive during your surgery. If you’re unsure which products you can use, you need to consult your doctor and be transparent about every product you use, including your makeup.  

Avoid Excessive Sun Exposure 

UV light can help damage your skin’s outer layer, making the healing process a bit more challenging. This might result in a slower recovery or scarring as your skin barrier isn’t in its best shape. As soon as you schedule for rhinoplasty, you should immediately avoid sun exposure and keep yourself behind a shade at all times. Additionally, you should also avoid tanning beds and just save for them once your surgery is done and fully healed. 

Plan Your Surgery Day 

Rhinoplasty is an outpatient procedure that will only take one day to complete the process. After your surgery, you’ll need to stay inside the clinic for a few hours so your doctor can observe you and see if you’re free to go home. Once you’re cleared, you’ll need to find someone who can drive you home, as driving yourself isn’t recommended right after surgery. The bandages might affect your eyesight, along with the anesthesia slowly wearing off, making you feel uncomfortable behind the wheel. To let you recover better and avoid any possible accidents, you should plan how you’ll get yourself back home.  

Prepare Your Medications And Meals 

After your surgery, you’ll need to take some medications to help for a quick and effective recovery. Before your surgery day, you should consult with your doctor and ask for their prescription so you can purchase and prepare them ahead of time. After your surgery, you’d probably be too busy recovering, so you won’t have enough energy to buy them at the pharmacy. Having them prepared at home allows you to focus on your recovery. 

Additionally, you should also prepare your meals for at least a week after your surgery. It’ll take you a couple of weeks to fully recover, and having a set meal allows you to focus on your recovery and prevent yourself from worrying and preparing what to eat. Ideally, your meals should be microwave-ready for a quick reheating process. 

Plan Your Outfit 

When you enter the operating room, you’ll need to change into a hospital gown to keep yourself comfortable and free from tight clothing. After your surgery, you’ll need to switch to your regular clothes before heading off. To make things comfortable, you should wear button-down clothes so you can prevent things from going over your head. This allows for a safer and more relaxed outfit. 

Come With A Clean Face 

Are you the type who never leaves home without makeup? It’s time to make an exception for your rhinoplasty. Before you head out, you need to ensure that you come with a clean face to avoid complications. This includes makeup and other skincare. All you need to do is to clean your face with a gentle facial cleanser, and you should be good to go.  

Takeaway 

Rhinoplasty is a surgery that you need to prepare heavily for. With proper preparation, you can allow for a speedy recovery while also minimizing the possibility of infections. While it might require you to make some short sacrifices, the benefits it’ll bring to you would be worth it as you’ll have the perfect nose that looks beautiful and perfect to breathe in without any complications.