Workouts and Plastic Surgeries: 4 Things You Should Be Aware of

There is no doubt that surgery is increasingly popular nowadays. Thanks to popular culture dispelling the taboos surrounding it, more and more people now have the courage to pursue the face and body of their dreams. Due to high-profile celebrities candidly opening up about the work they get done and its benefits, the world is now ready to fully embrace cosmetic interventions.

Famous actors and actresses, supermodels, singers and reality stars alike have started being honest about their lifts, augmentations, reductions or fillers. Thanks to them, we now have more courage in this respect than ever before. However, it’s important to remember that such a procedure is complex and rather difficult before actually getting one.

The recovery process is sometimes long, strenuous and even painful. Of course, this is not the case for non-invasive procedures. Nevertheless, you need to take some additional precautions in all aspects of your life after getting plastic surgery, and that’s a fact. If you were planning to work out post-op, here is what you need to know.

What to Know

Statistics indicate that as many as 16 million people went under the knife in 2015 in the United States alone. This represented a 2% increase since 2014. Breast augmentations are still the number one most popular surgical procedure, while in the department of minimally invasive cosmetic interventions, Botox remains king.

As for the most popular type of intervention, lifts of all sorts are certainly up there. Be it facelifts, breast lifts or even buttock lifts, more and more people are getting them these days. This is a natural outcome of the ever-increasing desire to always look fresh and young that we as a society have had for decades now.

Staying in shape is also a part of this modern tendency. Healthy diets and innovative workouts are all the rage, and they usually go hand in hand with plastic surgery. In fact, a lot of people who choose to undergo beauty procedures are also healthy living buffs more often than not. And there’s a perfectly logical reason behind that.

After spending your hard-earned money on a body modification, you need to do your best to maintain its results. In the case of plastic surgeries, that also includes keeping fit post-op. Thus, many are tempted to hit the gym right away and start improving even more. But is it safe to work out after you’ve had plastic surgery? Let’s find out.

1.      Try Keeping a Diet First

If you want to get even fitter after your cosmetic enhancement, nothing beats watching what you eat. Fortunately, plenty of weight loss programs for women and men alike have been designed by experts and tailored to suit specific needs. Therefore, if you’re in need of inspiration for your new post-op meal plan, you know where to find it.

If you want to maintain your fitness goals, you need to know that proper nutrition is more important than physical exercise. The results achieved through dieting are far more sustainable and durable, and working out is merely something to support them. While it is true that it does add to the progress, nothing compares to the progress you can make by eating right.

Therefore, it’s recommended to start off with changing your mealtime habits. Naturally, you need to consider its pros and cons and discuss them with your doctor. Together, you will come up with the best plan to suit your needs. Remember that there are plenty of factors that come into play, so don’t skip out on getting some well-informed medical advice.

Instead of jumping straight back into the gym, you can try upholding just a healthy diet for a while. In fact, depending on the nature of your surgery, your medic might even prescribe you one for the first few weeks after. This will be enough to maintain the improvements, and it will also prepare you for the transition back to normal life.

2.      Recovery Is Essential

After the operation, it’s essential to rest. Most surgeries require a recovery period of at least one month, or four weeks, before being able to undergo any type of demanding physical activity. Although it might be tempting to skip out on a few days of this period and squeeze in a few squats or pushups, you need to refrain from doing so by all means possible.

Rushing into this will not only hurt your well-being, but it will also impede the success rate of the intervention you have just gone through. Still, timeframes can differ, so make sure to check in with your surgeon. For example, it only takes two weeks to recuperate from a liposuction before being able to start light cardio, while for a tummy tuck a minimum of four is necessary.

Regardless of the different necessary periods, the universal truth of post-op life is that you need to allow for convalescence to do its thing. This can be especially hard when you’re an active person by design, but in the end, it will be worth it. Take a break from any physically demanding activities and focus on healing the areas that need it the most.

3.      Each Surgery Is Different

You might already be aware of this by now, but depending on the area targeted by the intervention, post-op conditions are different. If you get a facelift, you need to pay extra attention to the complexion, neck and ears. Similarly, minding your abdomen is crucial after a tummy tuck. Thus, this also applies to those times when you want to exercise after being under the knife.

But to what extent is this true? Physical activity following procedures like facial rejuvenation is strictly forbidden due to blood rushing to the tiny vessels in the face, which causes bleeding, swelling or bruising. But in the case of breast reduction, lower body exercises are actually part of the healing process. Therefore, the discussion is a lot more nuanced than you’d think.

As always, the specialist knows best. This piece of advice sounds overused at this point, but its importance needs to be emphasized every step of the way. Your surgeon will most likely specify the particularities of the procedure, as well as its adjacent healing process. If they fail to inform you of these things, you might want to consider going to someone else instead.

4.      Patience Is Key

This should go without saying, but you must refrain from engaging in any sort of physical activity for the first 48 hours after the surgery. Use these couple of days to rest in the comfort of your own home and to get used to your new body. You will experience some left-over pain and probably be on medication for it, as well as any other side effects, so it’s best to stay put.

What is more, getting plenty of sleep works wonders on your skin. Thus, not only will you heal faster, but you will also help enhance the overall results of the procedure you underwent. This will make the final reveal even more spectacular, and who doesn’t dream of that? So, don’t feel guilty about hitting the hay and resting.

Just like it is the case with any type of procedure, surgical or otherwise, resting is essential for the recovery process. You need to be tolerant of your body and not rush into anything that might impede its well-being or the success of the operation. As the old saying goes, patience is a virtue. This is as true in this case as it would be in other scenarios.

Conclusion

Plastic surgeries are becoming increasingly popular among both men and women of all ages nowadays. Due to the atmosphere of honesty and openness surrounding the topic in the media, we are now less afraid to demand the face and body of our dreams than ever before. Going under the knife is no longer a taboo in our society, and that should be applauded.

But while the prospects of such a procedure fill many with optimism, it’s also important to note that they are not an easy situation to withstand. Post-operatory life isn’t simple. You have to pay extra attention to things you never even considered before, and the ability to exercise is one of them.

Working out after a cosmetic enhancement of any kind is not impossible, but having patience is essential in such a situation. Wait for at least two days before performing any sort of physically engaging activity, and two to four weeks to start exercising. Allow yourself for some time to breathe and heal, and don’t forget that every procedure is different.

While for some it is recommended to perform some sort of training to enhance results, in other cases it is strictly forbidden. Because there are plenty of particularities involved, consulting with your doctor beforehand is an integral part of the process. He or she will advise you on how to pursue working out after cosmetic surgery.

 

Luke S. Mitchell is an MS Undergraduate in Sports Journalism and manager of Defend Your Healthcare. He is interested not only in the mind-body relationship and how motivation shapes our bodies but also in how we draw energy just from one simple yet powerful thought. You can find him on Facebook and Twitter.