Advice Before Surgery

Advice before Surgery

There are several things which you can do to prepare for your forthcoming surgery:

Stop smoking; cigarette smoke contains many different chemicals which can interfere with blood supply and narrow your blood vessels. The operated area needs a very good blood supply to heal and every cigarette smoked reduces the blood supply to the operated area and increases the risk of you developing a complication. Complications can be as much as 60 times higher in smokers than non-smokers. The longer you can give up for before surgery the better and the longer you can abstain for after surgery the better.
Lose weight; fat tends to have a poorer blood supply than other tissue. The more fat there is, the less the blood supply and the greater the chance of a complication. Thus getting your weight down to, or close to, your ideal weight reduces your risks of developing a complication. However, it is a bad idea to "crash diet" before surgery as your body will need a healthy diet to heal properly afterwards.
Get fit; the body sees any surgical procedure as a stressful event. The fitter you are, the more able your body is to cope with this stress, and the more likely you are to sail through your operation without problems. Furthermore, if you are undergoing certain procedures such as a tummy tuck or TRAM flap breast reconstruction, working to build up certain muscles before surgery can speed up your recovery time. This will be discussed at consultation.
Avoid aspirin; aspirin is an extremely useful medicine, but it does tend to increase the risk of bleeding, which is not a good thing during surgery. Therefore, you should avoid or stop taking aspirin for 10 days before surgery.
Avoid or certainly limit alcohol on the night before surgery.
Do not have anything to eat or drink after midnight on the night before surgery: if you are having a general anaesthetic, it is important that your stomach is empty by the time you go to theatre. It usually takes about six hours after eating food for your stomach to be empty. If you know you are going to be going to theatre in the afternoon, then it is OK to have a light breakfast at 6:30 am. If you are having your operation done under a local anaesthetic (with you awake) then you do not need to fast and can eat and drink normally right up to your operation.
Do not wear makeup: If you are attending for any facial surgery, it is a good idea not to wear makeup on the day of surgery.
If you develop a bad cold or chesty cough before surgery it is very unlikely that I would proceed with your operation. This is cosmetic surgery and having a cough or cold could increase your risk of complications and detract from the final outcome. If you do develop a cough/cold before surgery, you should contact my secretary directly who will either arrange for me to see you before your operation or make alternative arrangements.
If you have a long-standing medical problem such as diabetes, asthma, thyroid problems, epilepsy or high blood pressure (hypertension) you should go to your GP for a checkup.
Arnica: many people like to take Arnica before surgery and swear that it reduces bruising and swelling. There is however, no good evidence to support this claim. I do not feel strongly either way, and have no objections if you wish to take arnica prior to surgery.
Vitamin E cream: again, many people swear by the power of vitamin E to improve wound healing. In fact though, there is good evidence that vitamin E actually impairs wound healing and I strongly recommend that you do not supplement vitamin E before surgery and do not apply vitamin E cream to your wounds for at least 6 weeks after surgery. After this time if you wish to apply vitamin E cream I have no objection.

Testimonials

Hi, I am 41 years old female, I recently had a breast reduction surgery at Spire Thames Valley Hospital carried out by Mr Armstrong. Being a medical practitioner myself I wanted to make sure that I would receive the best possible health-care, so I had to make a big search to find the right surgeon and that was not easy with too many choices available!

However from the first consultation with Mr Armstrong, I felt that I had made the right choice. Mr Armstrong was so understanding and supportive, as well as very confident and a knowledgeable doctor. He provided me with all the necessary information and was approachable to answer all my questions at any time.He helped me to make an informative decision and to go ahead with surgery, with no rush or pressure.

Mr Armstrong works with an excellent team of Nurses and Anaesthetists which made my whole experience to be very smooth.The result of the surgery was more than excellent and my whole experience was fantastic. I am honoured to have known Mr Armstrong, the care I have recieved from him and his team before, after and during the surgery was so great that, I highly recommend him and his team for anyone who is considering a plastic surgery.