How long will it take?

How long it will take can be divided into three categories. First, How long will it take to get ready for the surgery? Second, How long will the actual operation take? Third, How long does it take to recover? First, and most important, is the preparation for any type of surgery. It is imperative that the surgeon know the patient well, including the patient's likes and dislikes. A person's medical history is very important, even in plastic surgery. For example, a person taking just one aspirin a day for the health of his/her heart can have an increased chance of bruising or difficult bleeding after surgery. As for the time actually spent operating, many people are surprised to learn that the plastic surgery procedures typically take hours, rather than minutes of the surgeon's time. When patients stop to think about that they are usually reassured after they discover just how many steps of surgery will be hidden beneath a fine line of surgical scarring.

Despite the hours in surgery many patients can ho home the same day. If the surgery will be long or the recovery a bit difficult, we urge the patient to stay overnight. This isn't routine or available everywhere.

The surgical recovery, while initially rapid and allowing the person to return to work, really takes months to develop and refine the final result. Bruising and swelling are usually gone between one and two weeks. Depending on the type of job a person has, this will allow them to return to work quickly. There is seldom severely restrictive recovery preventing a person's return to usual employment. No doubt most people take much longer than this to incorporate the surgical result and its care into their routine lifestyle. A person is justifiably cautious in this early period to protect their good result. I, for one, am certainly glad about that!

Swelling will usually be gone in a few weeks. However, refinement in procedures like liposuction and nose surgery, will take months to finally show themselves.