After Surgery Care
AFTER
SURGERY CARE
After surgery care is often as important a factor as the surgeon, or the surgery itself, and can make a big difference to the final result. Mr Harris believes that your postoperative surgical care begins with your consultation before surgery.
Following your consultation you will receive a full explanation of any proposed treatment, including the expected outcome and the possible complications.
Information sheets may also be given to reinforce your discussion with Mr Harris so that you fully understand what is being planned and can ask as many questions as necessary for you.
You will usually be offered a second pre-operative consultation free of charge to allow you to think about any proposed treatment. This ensures that there is plenty of time before surgery to address any questions about the procedure and allows the proper support systems to be put into place for an uncomplicated post-surgery recovery.
Following your consultation you will receive a full explanation of any proposed treatment, including the expected outcome and the possible complications.
Minor Surgery
Following minor surgery at 5 Devonshire Place, written instructions will be provided together with contact details in the event of an issue. Dressings are routinely applied to most small wounds and you don’t normally need to change these until you return for a standard one-week follow appointment. You can usually shower daily and exercise after 48 hours.
Major Surgery
Following major surgery in a private hospital, it is sensible, where possible, to ensure that a family member or friend is available to look after you in the first few days following discharge. Follow up appointments will be arranged by Mr Harris’s team. An appointment with Mr Harris and his practice plastic surgery nurses for dressing changes will usually be made a few days following the operation. Specific instructions about bathing, compression garments, physical activity, returning to work and driving will be explained before you are discharged from hospital. These instructions will depend on the nature of the surgery and your general health. You may also be given some discharge medications including painkilling tablets, which you should take as instructed, even if the pain is not too bad. In some cases, you may also require postoperative antibiotics.
Specific instructions about bathing, compression garments, physical activity, returning to work and driving will be explained before you are discharged from hospital. These instructions will depend on the nature of the surgery and your general health.
Recovery & Follow-ups
For most aesthetic breast surgery patients, it is advisable to have a week of doing very little after the procedure. You should be able to shower and go for daily walks. Post-operative bras designed by Mr Harris are routinely provided as part of your package. These should be worn for up to six weeks, day and night. After one week, you will have an appointment with the nursing staff for a dressing change and more specific instructions are then given depending on the surgery details and Mr Harris’ recommendations. There is then a progressive six week recovery until most patients feel completely normal. You can usually return to work and travelling by 7-10 days. Lower body exercise can start at approximately 10 days but often upper body exercise needs to be delayed beyond this time point. Routine follow-up appointments with Mr Harris take place at two weeks, six weeks and three months following surgery, although these can be more frequent if needed.
Once you have recovered from your surgery you may still require longer-term regular follow up or be discharged back into your GP’s care. Unless there are special circumstances, Mr Harris will write to your GP summarising the treatment that you have received.
Specific instructions about bathing, compression garments, physical activity, returning to work and driving will be explained before you are discharged from hospital. These instructions will depend on the nature of the surgery and your general health.
