Undergoing cosmetic surgery can be an exciting and life-changing experience. In many cases, it is a much-needed confidence and self-esteem boost.
It is therefore understandable that you will want to enjoy the results of your cosmetic procedure for as long as possible. Fortunately, there are steps you can follow to ensure your results last.
So how can you maintain your cosmetic surgery results?
Exercising
This is particularly important if you have had a body contouring procedure including liposuction. Unfortunately, having a body contouring surgical procedure doesn’t mean you can stop looking after your body.
If you avoid exercising after having liposuction, you may find you will gain weight again. While you will not gain weight in the areas which you had treated by liposuction, the areas that were not treated are still susceptible to weight gain.
Directly after the procedure, you will need to take it easy with exercise and make sure you get plenty of rest. However, once you have fully recovered, you should aim to incorporate 30 to 60 minutes of exercise per day into your routine.
Healthy diet
As well as exercise, you need to make sure you stick to a healthy diet in order to avoid post-op weight gain. We recommend avoiding foods that are high in sugar and processed fat. Instead, make sure to include fruit, vegetables, grains and lean protein into your diet.
If you’re not sure exactly what you need to eat, your surgeon may be able to help you figure out what to eat to speed up your recovery and maintain your results.
Skin care
This is something you should follow regardless of whether you had surgery. However, this is particularly important if you had laser treatments or facial rejuvenation.
Taking care of your skin will even help to minimise the appearance of scars if you had an incision. Make sure you keep your skin moisturised and cleansed. This will help to ensure not only will you continue to enjoy the results of your procedure, but you will continue to look youthful and rejuvenated.
Sun protection
After you’ve had a surgical or laser procedure, you will be advised to avoid excess sun and heat exposure. Getting sunburnt can damage and age your skin. It can cause problems with scars such as pigmentation.
When you are going out in the sun, make sure to apply a high SPF sunscreen to help protect your skin. Consider wearing longer clothing or wearing a hat to help prevent as much sun exposure to the face.
There are numerous benefits to applying sunscreen before going outside. Sunscreen helps to block against the suns radiation and can help prevent wrinkles and fine lines in the skin, as well as blotchy skin. Applying sunscreen will also help to protect the collagen, keratin and elastin in the skin.
Follow the surgeon’s instructions
During your consultation and after your procedure, your surgeon will give you instructions which you need to follow to have the best post-op recovery period possible. Depending on what surgery you had, you may need to wear compression garments, avoid bathing or avoid exercising and heavy lifting. There may even be medications which you need to take (such as antibiotics) or medications you will need to avoid.
Not following these instructions can cause complications to occur. Make sure to always follow the instructions the surgeon and the medical team give you. If you have any problems, you will be encouraged to contact the surgeon for clarification or return to the clinic for a follow-up appointment.