Preparing for Thigh Lift Surgery

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The preparation for thigh lift surgery begins from the consultation onwards, and should be done weeks (preferably months) in advance.

Improving your Lifestyle & Health

It is advisable to devote yourself to improving your general health as much as possible, in order for your body to recover from the trauma of long surgery under general anaesthetic easier.  This includes improving diet and increasing activity levels.  This stimulates the immune system, along with other benefits, such as increasing energy levels.  This is especially important in the post-operation period, when fatigue can occur and it is necessary to motivate yourself to practise some mobility in order to help the healing process and prevent the formation of blood clots.  If you smoke, it is imperative that you desist immediately for the foreseeable future.  Such a commitment may feel difficult, but it is vital for reducing the risk of serious complications under heavy anaesthetic or during the vulnerable period of recovery.  If your consultant has asked you to stop taking certain supplements, you must remember to do so for the duration of the period required, and must use an alternative painkiller to aspirin before surgery, as its effect of thinning the blood could prove fatal if excessive bleeding occurs during surgery.  In this situation, it is necessary for the blood to be thick enough to clot over the wound.  A small change such as this could greatly reduce the possibility of a complication becoming a fatality.

Medication

In addition to stopping and switching medication, you may also be required to take a course of antibiotics prior to your surgery.  This is to anticipate any infections which might occur and to catch them as early as possible.  It is important to take them for the full course in order to ensure effectiveness, and to be aware of their effect on the efficacy of other medicines, such as the oral contraceptive pill for women.

Work Commitments

Aside from the purely medical, it is important to arrange the practicalities of going in for surgery as soon as possible.  If in employment, it will be necessary to book time off work.  As non-essential surgery, this is unlikely to be considered reasonable use of emergency time off and sickness pay.  Consequently, you may well be expected to use annual leave and book this in advance.  Despite promises by some clinics for you to be discharged on the same day as having the procedure, you should allow more time than expected in case complications arise.  It is usually recommended that you take two or three weeks off work in order to recover to normal activity levels after surgery.  However, complications such as an infection can leave you incapable of work for some time after this prospective vacation.  Furthermore, it is not advisable to partake in any strenuous activity until at least a month after the operation, and even then it may well be painful.  This can be controlled to a degree by painkillers, but is much easier to tolerate in a sedentary job rather than a physically demanding one.

Support from Friends & Family

Another practical consideration is travel after the surgery has been completed.  You will be unable to drive for some time and too fatigued and vulnerable to use public transport.  Therefore you will either need to book a taxi from a reputable firm or have a friend or family member prepared to help on the occasion.  You will also need help with household activities and personal care.  If you have children, these too will probably require the patience and support of friends and family, as the pain, tiredness and immobility attendant on an operation can make it a struggle to cope with activity immediately.

Buying support Graments

In addition, if it is not included in the aftercare programme, you need to purchase medical quality support garments.  Breathable, washable support stockings can reduce discomfort and swelling while encouraging the leg to stay in its new surgically-imposed contours.  It will need to be worn as soon as any excess blood or fluid is drawn off from the wound for at least four weeks, and is a good investment.

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