BEFORE CHIN IMPLANT SURGERY
At your preoperative chin implant appointment, our nurse will provide all the instructions for you to follow before and after surgery. On the business day prior to the chin augmentation operation we ask you to call to confirm your arrival time for surgery. Upon arrival for your surgery, you will talk with a nurse (who will start an IV), discuss anesthesia (with local anesthesia and IV sedation you are asleep and comfortable) and meet with your doctor before going to the operating room. A chin implant takes about one hour depending on the anatomy and structure present prior to surgery. If you are having a combination of plastic surgery procedures your surgery will take longer. Recovery time from the anesthetic takes about an hour and you will be discharged about four hours from the time of admission.
PREOPERATIVE CHIN AUGMENTATION INSTRUCTIONS
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Please avoid any aspirin, aspirin-containing products, or ibuprofen (Advil, Aleve, etc.) for one week prior to your chin implant surgery. Please see our medication list (separate page of instructions) which outlines in detail products to avoid prior to surgery. If you are on any medications that affect bleeding (such as coumadin or warfarin) please notify the office immediately.
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Please refrain from tobacco products and alcohol for one week prior and two weeks following chin implant surgery. Along with delayed wound healing, persistent skin redness and other complications may persist when tobacco and alcohol are not discontinued.
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Please notify us of all routine medications and significant health history. We ask that you remain on your daily medications unless instructed otherwise. At the preoperative chin implant appointment, our nurse will tell you which daily medications to take with just a sip of water on the morning of surgery.
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At your preoperative chin implant appointment you will be given prescriptions for use following surgery including an oral antibiotic (Keflex/Cephalexin), swelling medications (Medrol Dosepak/methyl prednisolone) and pain medications (Vicodin/hydrocodone). Please obtain these prescription medications before your chin augmentation surgery so you will have them ready for use when you return home after surgery.
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The day before your chin augmentation surgery, we will ask you to begin Vitamin C 1000 mg (ascorbic acid), which helps promote healing, three times a day with food for one week before and two weeks following surgery. To minimize bruising, you will also be asked to start Arnica (a natural supplement) the day before chin implant surgery and continue for one week following surgery.
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Please call the Lindsay House before noon on the business day prior to your chin augmentation procedure at 267-8200 to confirm your arrival time.
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You may not eat or drink after midnight the evening before the chin implant procedure unless instructed otherwise. You may brush your teeth. Your procedure will be cancelled if you do not follow these instructions.
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Do not bring valuables (cash, credit cards, watches, jewelry, etc.) to the Lindsay House on the day of your chin augmentation surgery. Remove all make-up and nail polish before arriving for your procedure.
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It is not required that a family member or friend stay at the Lindsay House during your chin augmentation surgery. However, someone must be available at all times while you are here at the Lindsay House for surgery. Someone will need to drive you home after your surgery and stay with you that evening. Transportation to the office for suture removal three days following chin augmentation surgery is also recommended.
AFTER CHIN AUGMENTATION SURGERY
When you wake up from your chin implant surgery you will notice a chin strap dressing that may feel a bit tight because of the swelling. This dressing helps minimize swelling and keeps the chin implant securely in place. Following your chin implant, the nurses will ask assist you to meet the discharge criteria: to drink liquids, walk with a steady gait, void, manage your discomfort, and have a responsible adult at home following the procedure. The nurses will review all instructions you will need for care following chin implant surgery.
The chin dressing must be kept dry and in place for three days following surgery. You will be asked to come to our Lindsay House Office (not the Surgery Center) on postoperative day three or four for dressing and suture removal. The morning of the suture removal, you may shower and get the dressing wet, which will help with dressing removal at your appointment.
Although most patients describe dressing and suture removal as discomfort rather than pain, you are encouraged to take your pain medication about an hour prior to suture removal. When sutures are removed, small steri-strips will be placed to reinforce the incision. These steri-strips must remain dry and in place for four days. You may then get them wet in the shower before your second postoperative appointment for steri-strips removal.
POSTOPERATIVE CHIN IMPLANT INSTRUCTIONS
Wound care
Keep dressing dry and intact the evening after chin augmentation surgery and for three days following surgery. Notify your doctor if the dressings become loose or fall off.
Medications
- Most patients complain of discomfort more than pain. Use pain medication (Vicodin/hydrocodone) as directed/as needed. Vicodin contains Tylenol. Do not take additional Tylenol or acetaminophen while taking Vicodin. Do not drive or drink alcohol while taking pain medication. Taking pain medication with food helps minimize nausea sometimes associated with pain medications.
- Start your antibiotic (Keflex/cephalexin) when you get home and one at bedtime. It is not uncommon to have a low-grade fever for 24 to 48 hours following chin augmentation surgery.
- Start swelling medication (Medrol Dosepak/methyl prednisolone) when you arrive home and again at bedtime. Then follow package directions. Take with food.
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) helps promote healing. Take 1000 mg three times a day for two weeks following chin implant surgery.
Diet
Advance diet from liquids to soft food (oatmeal, French toast, yogurt, soup, and pasta) to your regular diet as tolerated. There are no dietary restrictions for chin implant patients postoperatively.
Activity
Rest for entire day after chin augmentation surgery. Sleep with head of the bed elevated or use two to three pillows for one week after surgery. Absolutely no bending, lifting or straining. If you have little children, bend at the knees or sit on the floor and let them climb on to your lap. No driving for one week following surgery. Two weeks off work is recommended; three weeks off is ideal.
Always protect your face from the sun. At this point, a hat and sunglasses are a good idea. Following chin augmentation surgery, our staff will tell you when it is ok to apply sunscreen, cosmetics or facial creams. Avoid unprotected prolonged sun exposure for three months following chin implant to prevent pigmentation of incision lines.
Please Remember!
Swelling, bruising and disrupted sleep are very normal postoperative symptoms and will decrease as the healing process occurs. Assistance with daily activities the first two to three days after chin augmentation surgery is recommended.
Final Result
Following chin implant, it takes time for the swelling to subside and for the skin to heal. Most patients return to work one week following surgery, however two weeks is ideal, depending on the degree of privacy one is trying to maintain. At two weeks postoperatively, swelling and bruising may be apparent to you but not to many of your coworkers and closest friends.
Final results following chin implant are not apparent for one full year following surgery. After three months, the changes are ever so subtle, although still important. Being perfectionists about our work, you may tell us you are pleased long before the one-year anniversary. However, we request that you follow-up with us at that time for postoperative chin implant photographs and so that we can enjoy your final result.
Copyright 2010 Quatela Center for Plastic Surgery