Step 1: Before Your Surgery
It is important to avoid foods that increase your risk of bleeding. And I don’t mean medications such as aspirin and warfarin. Certain food varieties and additives thin your blood and increase bleeding after surgery
Lettuce, berries, walnuts, green tea, grape juice, dark chocolate, garlic, fish all have blood thinning properties and avoiding this food in the week leading up to any major surgical procedure reduces your bleeding risk and post operative bruising.
Stopping of medications and over the counter medications
Stopping aspirin at least 7 days before surgery is vital to reverse its anti-platelet properties. Over the counter medications like fish oil and St Johns wort also thin the blood and must be stopped.
If you require blood thinning for cardiac reasons then your cardiologist needs to be informed.
Step 2: Leading Up To Surgery
Try and stay as calm as possible, whether you meditate or pray its imperative you get in the right head space, as this will ease your blood pressure during and importantly after surgery.
Having all the right information helps and Dr Zoumaras and Artiste will ensure that no stone is unturned to give you the information you require.
Step 3: Immediate Post Operative Period
Your blood pressure will be controlled in the early stages of recovery to keep oozing to a minimum. This tailored with good pain relief allows you to rouse from surgery with minimum of discomfort and anxiety. Ice packs will be applied liberally to the face to help bruising.
The insertion of drains mop up any blood from the surgical site and they remain for a few days.
Step 4: At Home
You will be asked to refrain from extensive talking, chewing gum and hot or spicy food. The constant movement of the facial muscles during talking and chewing can trigger bleeding and make bruising worse, so you will have to be anti-social for a few days. Hot and spicy foods cause vasodilatation (enlargement of blood vessels) and this leads to increase bleeding. These measures will minimise bruising after a facelift.
Step 5: Make Up and Bruising Aids
Topical gels can be used to minimise bruising, products such as Hirudoid cream or gel have anti-inflammatory properties that minimise bruising in a facelift. The use of parsley has been advocated to reduce bruising. Simply crush some parsley leaves and rub onto the affected area.
Lastly facial make up and concealer’s can be used to hide bruising as early as 3 days after a facelift.
Summary:
Avoid dark chocolate, grape fruit juice, garlic and fish
Stay calm, pray or meditate on the lead up to surgery
Use ice packs immediately after surgery to minimise bruising and stop bleeding
Avoid hot and spicy foods at home
Use Hirudoid cream or crushed parsley for bruising daily
It would be expected that you should be able to return to work and social activities after 10-14 days. For more information see Art of a Facelift and Artiste Face Menu
