BEFORE LIP AUGMENTATION SURGERY
At your preoperative appointment our nurse will provide all the instructions for you to follow before and after surgery. On the business day prior to your operation we ask you to call to confirm your arrival time for lip augmentation surgery. Upon arrival for your surgery, you will talk with a nurse (who will start an IV), discuss local anesthesia with IV sedation (you will be asleep and comfortable for your surgery), and meet with your plastic surgeon before going to the operating room. Most lip augmentation procedures can be done with local anesthesia under IV sedation so you are asleep and comfortable at all times during the procedure. Lip enhancement surgery takes between one to two hours depending on the amount of change desired. If you are having a combination of procedures your surgery time will take longer. Recovery from the anesthetic takes about an hour and most patients are discharged about four to five hours from the time of admission.
PREOPERATIVE LIP AUGMENTATION INSTRUCTIONS
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Please avoid any aspirin, aspirin-containing products, or ibuprofen (Advil, Aleve, etc.) for one week prior to and two weeks following your lip augmentation surgery. See our "Medication List" for products to avoid prior to surgery. If you are on any medications that affects 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 three weeks following 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 including any history of "cold sores." We ask that you remain on your daily medications unless instructed otherwise. At the preoperative 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 appointment you will be given prescriptions for use following surgery including an oral antibiotic and pain medications. Please obtain these prescription medications before your surgery so you will have them ready for use after surgery.
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We will ask you to take Arnica, a natural herb that significantly decreases bruising, before and after surgery. We will also ask you to take Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), which helps promote healing, before and after surgery.
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Please call the Lindsay House Surgery Center at 244-1135 before noon on the business day prior to your procedure to confirm your arrival time.
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You may not eat or drink after midnight the evening before the 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 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 to stay at the Lindsay House during your 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 packing removal the day following surgery is also required.
AFTER LIP AUGMENTATION SURGERY
When you wake up from lip augmentation surgery you will notice that your lips are very swollen. This swelling will subside over the next two weeks. There will be ointment on your lips to keep them moist. If you had lip augmentation, you may have a small dressing on the "donor" site where the "filler" was obtained. Following your lip procedure, the nurses will ask assist you to meet the discharge criteria: to drink liquids, walk with a steady gait, void, manage your discomfort, and monitor your wounds. The nurses will review all instructions you will need for care following your lip implant procedure.
You will be asked to come to the private entrance of our Lindsay House office (not the Surgery Center) the following day after surgery for a check-up. If you have sutures, you will be asked to return through the private entrance to the office in five days for suture removal. Although most patients describe suture removal as discomfort rather than pain, you are encouraged to take your pain medication about an hour prior to suture removal.
POSTOPERATIVE LIP AUGMENTATION INSTRUCTIONS
Wound care
Keep your lips moist with the ointment as instructed. Keep any "donor site" dressings dry and intact the evening after surgery. Notify your doctor if the dressing becomes loose or falls off. Our nurses will instruct you on wound care. Cleaning the suture with a Q-tip dipped in hydrogen peroxide and then applying the antibiotic ointment (polysporin/bacitracin) twice a day is an essential part of the healing process.
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 hours following lip augmentation surgery.
- Start swelling medication (Medrol Dosepak/methyl prednisolone) when you arrive home and at bedtime. Then follow package directions. Take with food.
- Take Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), which helps promote healing, before and after surgery. Take Arnica, a natural herb that significantly decreases bruising, as directed.
Diet
Avoid dairy products for five days following lip augmentation surgery. Advance diet from liquids to soft food (oatmeal, French toast, soup, pasta) to your regular diet as tolerated.
Activity
Rest for entire day after lip 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 lip enhancement surgery. Two weeks off work is recommended.
After 24 hours, keep incisions dry except for cleaning and ointment. Bathing is ok as long as you don't get your incisions wet. You are encouraged to shower and wash your hair in the morning before coming for suture removal (usually post-op day five). Bruising can be camouflaged at one week postoperatively with make-up. Always protect your face from the sun. At this point, a hat and sunglasses are a good idea. Following 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 lip augmentation procedures to prevent pigmentation of incision lines.
Appointments
Your first postoperative lip augmentation appointment will be on the next morning following surgery. Sutures will be removed approximately five days following your surgery. You will need transportation to and from these appointments. For the first ten days following lip augmentation surgery, please use our private side entrance (driveway entrance). We recommend that out of town patients plan to stay in the Rochester area for about a week to ten days.
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 lip augmentation surgery is strongly recommended.
Final Result
Following lip augmentation procedures, it takes time for the swelling to subside and for the skin to heal. Most patients return to work two weeks following surgery, however three weeks is ideal, depending on the degree of privacy one is trying to maintain. At three weeks postoperatively, swelling and bruising may be apparent to you but not to many of your coworkers and closest friends.
Final results following a lip augmentation procedure 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 lip augmentation photographs and so that we can enjoy your final result.
Please notify the office 244-1000 and ask for our nurse for any concerns. For an emergency, please contact our office or professional answering service at 258-4851. Remember, we are all here to help in any way we can.
Copyright 2010 Quatela Center for Plastic Surgery