Precautions After Facial Contouring Surgery at Apgujeong Seoul

Hello, this is Apgujeong Seoul Plastic Surgery.

I am Dr. Choi Joong-hyeok, a board-certified plastic surgeon.

Facial contouring surgery is a delicate procedure that involves bone, so postoperative care must also be very precise.

There are many things you may be wondering about, such as how often to use cold and warm compresses and when you can eat comfortably again.

If we carefully explain even the small inconveniences patients may experience in daily life, and if you follow these rules well, swelling, bruising, and the concerns you have will soon go away, and you will be able to achieve satisfying results.

Precautions - Compresses

From immediately after surgery, you should apply ice compresses frequently.

Put the pack provided by the hospital in the freezer for about 30 minutes to chill it, and place it symmetrically on both sides of the face, repeating this as needed.

Keeping your upper body elevated is helpful, and it is best to sleep with your head raised.

Starting from the 4th day after surgery, a foot bath can help with blood circulation.

Immediately after surgery, use cold compresses, and after 3 to 4 days, it is good to use warm compresses.

Warm compresses warm the body and relax the blood vessels.

Then the fluid in the swollen tissues is absorbed through the blood vessels and lymphatic circulation.

As circulation improves, absorption increases, which helps reduce swelling.

Precautions - Bruising and Bleeding

Sometimes bruising may occur, but it will disappear after about 2 to 3 weeks.

If you have bruising, exposure to direct sunlight may cause pigmentation on the face and lead to blemishes, so until the bruising has completely gone, you should wear a hat or apply cosmetics containing sunscreen, or apply sunscreen directly.

For about 4 weeks, you should avoid applying physical force.

Alcohol and smoking slow wound healing, so they should be avoided if possible, and if unavoidable, they are allowed starting 2 weeks later.

After surgery, not only swelling but also bruising may occur.

Bruising is a skin change caused by bleeding that occurs during the surgery.

Unfortunately, there are not many definite ways to quickly remove bruising.

Applying bruise ointment or taking a light walk may help, but the effect is not very large.

Usually, bruising naturally fades over time, and in some cases it may last as long as 2 to 3 weeks.

In particular, to prevent pigmentation, it is best to avoid sun exposure as much as possible on bruised areas.

Precautions - Exercise

General exercise (running, swimming) is possible after about 3 weeks.

Vomiting immediately after surgery, severe coughing, suddenly laughing loudly, or speaking a lot should be avoided because they can cause hematomas.

For meals, eat soft foods for 2 to 3 days after discharge, and after that you can eat rice with soft side dishes, but you should avoid spicy and salty foods, hot foods, and hard or chewy foods.

Exercise after surgery is usually not recommended.

This is because when you exercise, your blood pressure rises, your heart pounds, you become short of breath, and the area that had been stopped from bleeding may bleed again, causing swelling to return.

Light walking, riding a bicycle, or other light stretching can help reduce swelling.

Aerobic exercise, running, or strenuous sweaty exercise that raises blood pressure should not be done for 3 weeks.

Precautions - Bleeding

A small amount of blood may come out of the mouth.

You can spit out a small amount of blood, but if a large amount of blood goes down your throat or if a large amount of blood comes out, you should call the hospital immediately.

After cheekbone surgery, it is normal for a small amount of nosebleed to occur.

Do not blow your nose at all for one week, and gently wipe away any nasal discharge or blood that comes out.

Blood may come from the mouth or nose. In most cases, this is temporary bleeding from the surgical incision or stitched area, so there is usually no need to worry.

When undergoing cheekbone surgery, the surgical area is connected to the nose,

so some bleeding that occurs after cheekbone surgery may come out through the nose or mouth.

If it is not excessively heavy, there is no need to worry.

Precautions - Brushing Teeth and Gargling

Keeping the surgical area inside the mouth clean is the most important thing.

After meals, snacks, or drinks, rinse with water 6 to 7 times, and finish with one rinse using Hexamedine gargle.

Brushing your teeth is possible from after discharge, and even after you start brushing, you should continue both brushing and gargling until the 2nd week.

When brushing, do not irritate the wound area with the toothbrush; gently brush only the teeth.

The reason you are told to gargle a lot after surgery is not for disinfection, but to prevent food from getting caught in the stitches.

After eating, it is good to rinse once with plain water or regular mouthwash.

Brushing your teeth is unrelated to the surgical area, so you can do it as usual, but just be careful not to touch the wound area.

Precautions - Bandages and Face Band

The facial bandage is removed at the hospital on the 1st day after surgery, and after that, please wear the face band until 1 week after surgery.

When sleeping, wear the band and keep your upper body elevated.

Except for important outings, you should wear it for 1 to 3 months.

The reason for wearing the band on the face is to reduce facial swelling.

So, in fact, the period when it is most effective is the first 1 to 2 days, and since some people continue to have swelling after that, we recommend wearing it for a full week.

If you need to go out, remove it, and put it back on at home.

Precautions - Washing and Makeup

You may wash your face immediately after surgery, except for the surgical area.

To wash your face, apply soap to gauze, gently wipe, and then wipe again with damp gauze.

Bathing is possible immediately after surgery, as long as it does not involve the face.

You can wash your hair at any time after surgery, but you should not bend forward. At a salon, wash carefully with your head tilted back so that water does not touch the area.

Washing your face and applying makeup are completely unrelated to facial contouring surgery.

After cheekbone surgery, there will be a wound near the sideburns, so just be careful not to let water touch the incision area.

Precautions - Sauna, Alcohol, and Smoking

For cheekbone surgery, water may touch the stitch area of the incision near the ear starting the day after the stitches are removed.

Saunas, jjimjilbang, and alcohol are allowed starting 1 month after surgery.

Saunas and hot compresses are allowed. However, in the early stage, being in a hot place can dilate blood vessels and cause bleeding again, so it should not be done for a month, but after one week.

As a rule, alcohol and smoking should be avoided for 2 weeks before surgery and 2 weeks after surgery because they interfere with wound healing.

Because wounds heal slowly, it is better to avoid them for about a month after surgery.

Facial contouring surgery is a delicate process that refines the fine lines of the bone to complete harmony, so postoperative care from immediately after surgery until everything is fully settled is a key factor that determines the final level of satisfaction.

I hope that the care guidelines I carefully explained today through both video and text will help ease your anxiety even a little and serve as a reliable guide as you safely return to your daily life.

At Apgujeong Seoul Plastic Surgery, we have remained in the same place for the past 26 years, building beautiful changes together with many patients based on deep trust.

Our extensive clinical data accumulated over many years and our unmatched know-how are our greatest assets, which cannot be replaced by anything else, and are also a standard of safety that we can confidently promise to our patients.

We promise to provide thorough, detailed care all the way through, not only for the successful completion of the surgery itself, but also for even the smallest symptoms and changes that may appear during recovery after surgery, with the weight and responsibility of our 26-year tradition.

If you have any further questions about facial contouring surgery, please make a reservation through the link below.

This has been Dr. Choi Joong-hyeok of Apgujeong Seoul Plastic Surgery.