Pain after Plastic Surgery

What to Expect

Some pain after surgery is normal. The pain will improve day by day. The first few days are usually the worst, but as swelling and bruising settle, pain will slowly subside.

Different procedures have different recovery periods. Surgeries that involve bone, muscle, and tendons have typically a more painful recovery than those that involve skin alone.

The best pain reliever is peace of mind. So check any concerns, and then settle in as your body makes its way through the healing process.

Surgical Site Care

Follow the surgical instructions specific to your procedure. An instruction sheet is provided at the time of surgery. If you do not have post-op care instructions, please call the office.

Activity and Care at Home

Elevate the surgical area. At night, sleep with the area slightly raised - at the level of your heart or higher.
Apply ice or a cool-pack wrapped in a light towel to the area. Apply for no more than 10 minutes every hour.

Medications and Pain Management

Try to take as few opioids as possible (codeine, tramadol, dilaudid, morphine, oxycodone). Non-opioid medications should be prioritized and opioids only taken if extra pain control is required. Staying ahead of your pain for the first 48 hours helps, so the regular use of non-opioid medication can be very helpful in the first 2-3 days.

Patients with liver disease should be careful with the Tylenol dose and those with asthma or renal disease should be careful with anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen. If you are unfamiliar with these medications and you have pre-existing medical problems, consult with your physician.

If there is no acetaminophen (Tylenol) in the opioid pills, try taking two extra strength (500mg) acetaminophen every six hours or two regular strength (325mg) acetaminophen every four hours. Do not take more than 4 grams (4000 milligrams) of acetaminophen in 24 hours.

Add ibuprofen (200-400mg) every six to eight hours around the clock for the first two days. If you have anti-inflammatory prescribed by your doctor (naproxen, Celebrex), take in place of ibuprofen. Do not take more than 3 grams (3000 milligrams) of ibuprofen in 24 hours.

Stagger your doses of Tylenol and ibuprofen so that you are taking something for pain every two to four hours.

If you have been prescribed gabapentin, you may take this in additional to opioids and acetaminophen/ibuprofen.

What to watch for / when to call / who to call

Problems after surgery are uncommon. Your surgeon will educate you as to what to watch for after surgery. If you feel your pain is out of proportion to what you would expect for your procedure, call the office.