How to Minimize Swelling After Surgery
When you have a procedure done, wither it may be for cosmetic or medical reasons, swelling often occurs. From wisdom teeth removal to blepharoplasty to a neck or face lift, swelling is a common after affect that can be hard to avoid completely. There are ways to minimize the swelling both before and after your surgery to get you back to normal as fast as possible.
What can you do before your surgery to minimize swelling?
Interestingly enough, what you eat leading up to your surgery can help minimize the swelling after your surgery. Staying very hydrated pre and post is always a must. Plenty of water, tea, even Gatorade is good to give your body all the hydration it needs to heal quickly and at its prime. It is common for people to become dehydrated quicker post surgery if you are not drinking enough liquids. If you take the two days prior to make sure you get lots of liquids, this will help as well. Often after surgery you just want to sleep, which inherently limits the amount of liquids you may be drinking.
Speaking of liquids, this tip might surprise you! Drinking pineapple juice before and after can actually help reduce the swelling as well! Although there is not extensive research on this, pineapple juice has a mixture of enzymes in it called Bromelain. Bromelain has the potential to reduce swelling, bruising, healing time, and pain after surgery some studies suggest. Pineapples have been used for centuries in multiple cultures as an aid to healing for a vast array for features.
We have had many patients test drinking pineapple juice before and after out and report positive results! It is hard to know of course the exact extent to which it is helping, however aside from the natural sugar in the juice, it really is a healthy option to consume anyways.
You may have seen on TikTok teens getting their wisdom teeth out claiming they drank 64oz beforehand and find their swelling to be minimal. Although we are not sure you need to go that high in ounces the day before, we do think consuming pineapple juice for the 48 hours in advance can help your body out. Likewise, drinking pineapple juice or smoothies/juices with pineapple juice in it after your surgery surely won’t hurt! (Unless you are diabetic and need to avoid that much sugar on the whole.)
What can you do to minimize swelling after surgery?
Once you get home post surgery, the next 24-72 hours can be the prime time you start to see and feel the swelling at the site of the procedure. One of the best and well known things you can do is to ice the affected area. The cold helps calm the area and should be used on and off typically for 30 minutes at a time for the first two days. After this ice therapy for up to 48 hours, you can switch to a moist heat if that is more comfortable up to 4 times a day. You may continue the cold if that feels better for you. Once you feel that the swelling has subsided, you can stop this therapy.
Ice packs made from gels are some of the best options to use as they will mold to the area you put them on. It is a good idea to wrap your ice pack in a kitchen towel or other thinner towel to not only be more comfortable for you but also to keep you ice pack sanitary. It’s super easy to toss a towel in the wash, but your ice pack? Not so much!
There are also some products out there that can be a cold compress. There are sleeves for your arms and legs that can be put in the freezer then slid onto the affected area. These are great to have on hand even if you don’t need it right away for a leg or arm. There are some that go over your head and down your neck as well. These can be nice once you get them on, however can be a big struggle to actually get on and end up causing you a lot more pain in the process. Often an ace bandage can do the trick to keep an ice pack in place without the needs of your hands holding it the whole time.
It is also a good idea to elevate the area affected, especially if you have the procedure anywhere on your face. Making sure to prop up with lots of pillows when laying down will keep the blood flow to a minimum which will help from overloading the area and thus causing more swelling.
It is also wise to avoid very hot showers post surgery. This heat can irritate the procedure spot and cause more swelling. For the first week, you generally want to stick with warm showers over very hot. Depending on the surgery itself, we may advise you to continue this practice for a few weeks after.
Although lotions and cleansers may not affect the swelling itself, it is a good idea to use perfume free products and products that are demonologist recommended specifically for sensitive skin as they are free from common skin irritants like perfumes or lesser quality ingredients. This will make sure you are not agitating the site unnecessarily. Likewise, you should avoid using any makeup for at least the first 24-48 hours post surgery and you definitely should come to your surgery completely makeup free.
Swelling is to be expected and is a completely natural part of your bodies healing process. Giving yourself the best foot forward before your surgery even begins is the best bet. Make sure you hydrate more than normal, have lots of liquids you like on hand for afterwards, and have a quality ice pack that can move to your body ready and waiting. We promise, you will be very happy with yourself in the recovery phase if you take the time and effort to prep well beforehand!