Plastic surgery is gaining popularity among all age groups and demographics, and while it is important to be picky about your surgeon, you should also consider how important the recovery is after the surgery. That recovery period is just as important, if not more.
Whether you are undergoing a tummy tuck, liposuction, Brazilian butt lift (BBL), or any combination of procedures at once, hiring a nurse for after surgery care is a critical way to ensure you are on the best path for healing as quickly as possible.
When coming home after surgery, you are going to need support — yet oftentimes you do not necessarily want friends or family members to know you are having a cosmetic procedure in the first place. So, who can you trust to ask for help? A private duty nurse.
This article focuses on the benefits of hiring a nurse after plastic surgery and why it is the best option to ensure a smooth recovery.
The Importance of Post-Operative Nursing Care
Plastic surgery can be a life-changing experience, and the goal is to get you looking and feeling your best as quickly as possible so you can get back to life.
However, depending upon your procedures, you may have a variety of restrictions making it more challenging to get up and move, lay down, and even sleep. Your recovery phase necessitates commitment and appropriate care to get the optimal results and avoid complications.
While certain surgeons may allow for a same-day discharge, others may require staying in the surgical center overnight for close monitoring. You will experience pain, swelling, and limitation in movement, among other things.
In order to best plan for this, your surgeon should give you information about self-care when booking your procedure so you can prepare ahead of time. However, post-operative nursing care is still an important addition to your plan.
It may be difficult for you to dress your own bandages, empty your own drains, and monitor your medications for pain control on your own. A qualified in-home nurse can not only provide the emotional and social support you will need, but they can ensure you are eating all the right foods to promote healing, and moving just enough in all the right ways, to prevent any further complications.
The Advantages of Hiring a Plastic Surgery Nurse
Nursing care right after surgery is an integral part of the overall plastic surgery experience. You may not realize this, but the recovery process itself is crucially important in determining the final result. The correct care and attention during this stage will greatly reduce complications and discomfort while enhancing the recovery process.
Here are the benefits of hiring a nurse after plastic surgery:
Enhanced Recovery & Optimal Healing
A qualified post-operative nurse applies their expertise in wound care, medication dosing, and interpreting vital signs to help guide your recovery. They should frequently examine the post-operative incisions and drain sites, changing dressings as needed.
This can require multiple dressing changes the first few days until incisions sites are no longer oozing. They will meticulously care for the sites to prevent infections and are responsible for ensuring that compression garments are always in the right places.
At-Home Pain Management
Pain is inherently a part of surgical procedures, and plastic surgery is no exception. The presence of an experienced in-home nurse guarantees that proper pain treatment is followed. Depending upon your use of medications prior to surgery, they will be typically juggling a handful of types of medications that each help in different ways.
For example, a muscle relaxant can help relax the muscles, while Tylenol can be used for both pain and as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory to keep swelling down. Experienced in-home nurses know how to stagger all your medications, so you always have something working in your system in a different way.
Increased Mobility & Activity
Sometimes, depending on the procedure, either some or all movements may be limited after the operation. A post-operative nurse will help patients with everyday functions like taking a bath, dressing, walking, and simply getting up and down. As a result, the reduced motion increases comfort while helping prevent blood clots.
You may be given sequential compression devices by your surgeon, or you may be placed on a blood thinner for a short time period until you are able to begin to be more active. Physical activity is important for healing, so increasing short walks every day is an ideal way to help promote healing.
Emotional Support
Recovery after plastic surgery is both physically and emotionally demanding for you and your family. You will be uncomfortable physically, and you may not recognize your face right after surgery due to swelling. Although it is temporary, this can be a source of anxiety for some people, especially if they have drains placed in and around their face or neck.
Because of complexities to the incisions themselves, a private duty nurse can be a source of comfort for you by giving explanations, answering your questions, and heading off anxieties. This personalized companion ensures a smooth and stress-free recovery.
Reduced Burden on Loved Ones
While family and friends typically represent the traditional source of support, being a caregiver for you may not be something that they like to do, or have the time nor skill to do. Additionally, their schedules will likely not be able to accommodate 24/7 care.
Hiring a nurse after plastic surgery means that relatives can reduce their responsibility to take care of physical needs and could instead concentrate on the emotional state of the person who is recovering.
Peace of Mind
Knowing there is a competent healthcare professional by your side enables you to focus on recovering and gives you the priceless peace of mind that your issues are going to be attended to quickly. Offering that mental and emotional serenity is the best gift one can give to a patient who is on track for stress-free recovery.
Surgical Procedures & Subsequent Recovery
Here’s a closer look at how a post-surgical nurse can be particularly beneficial for some popular plastic surgery procedures:
- Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) Post-Operative Care: The in-home nurse can perform dressing changes, check for symptoms of infection, and also assist a person into a qualified sitting position to prevent edema and aid in healing. With a BBL, you will want someone who has the ability to actually see you from a 360-degree perspective, as you will not be able to.
- Tummy Tuck Post-Operative Care: The means of recovery from the tummy tuck can have some restrictions to your movements. Every surgeon typically has different routines, so it is important to follow what your specific surgeon recommends, especially if you have paired a tummy tuck with multiple other procedures on the same day. A private duty nurse at home can help with regular activities, monitoring the incision sites, and providing an appropriate physical activity program to promote healing and decrease pain. It’s always important to be as active as possible after surgery to help prevent blood clots, and to promote healing.
- Lipo 360 Post-Operative Care: This detail-embracing liposuction procedure demands careful compression garment management and careful monitoring for a successful outcome. You may also need frequent exchange of bandages, especially for the first 24 hours. Post-operative nursing care, for example, can ensure proper application of the bandages and garments, monitor your vital signs, and assist in pain management. Pain management allows you to be up and active, which is important to help you heal faster.
The Cost of Hiring a Nurse After Plastic Surgery
Anyone who has just had surgery should always have someone with them for at least the first 24 hours. If this is not a family member or friend, an in-home nurse is the ideal companion. Registered nurses can generally provide more medical support and recommendations than your family or friends and be on the lookout for any post-procedure complications.
While complications are not frequently seen, they do happen, and it is important to get them addressed as quickly as possible. Having a post-operative nurse by your side for the first 24 hours not only is a relief to your loved ones, but it will help you achieve a prompt recovery with minimal complications.
The cost of the nurse is well worth it, as you have just invested a lot of money out of pocket for the surgery — you want to ensure you don’t have any other complications you need to also pay for later.
At Navi Nurses in Phoenix, we offer flexible scheduling options to ensure the care is tailored to your needs and budget. We will always provide you with a handful of options for you to decide what is best, but our recommendations come from experience providing over 50,000 hours of patient care.
For additional peace of mind, our team works in collaboration with the medical team you chose, so you have a seamless experience. Navi’s self-pay service ensures you receive the best care for yourself without the barrier of insurance coverage, but you can apply funds from your HSA or FSA to cover this expense.
Next Steps for Plastic Surgery Recovery with Phoenix In-Home Nurses
Ready to hire a nurse after plastic surgery in Phoenix? We offer you a full-time post-surgical registered nursing team at Navi Nurses with creditable surgical experience.
Call us at (480) 630-0808 or reach out today to talk about your needs for Lipo 360, tummy tuck and BBL post-op care (and more) — and know how we can help take you from where you are, to where you want to be!
