With Christmas over and mince pies off the menu for another few months, we’re all starting to consider healthier life choices for the new year. Whether you’re doing Dry January, finally quitting smoking, or beginning a new fitness regime, did you know that all these lifestyle changes can actually help you to prepare for cosmetic surgery?
Here we cover how the January reset could be invaluable cosmetic surgery prep and provide some resources if you’re looking to make changes to benefit your health and wellbeing this January.
Quitting smoking
We all know that smoking causes numerous major health concerns, not to mention the ageing effect it has on your skin. But did you know that smoking also impacts your body’s ability to heal? Whatever op you’re having, surgeons always recommend quitting smoking several weeks beforehand, to reduce the chances of post-surgical complications and improve healing time.
And if you’re having an anti-ageing procedure, like a facelift or blepharoplasty, the best news is that quitting smoking will help the results last for longer, as you’ll no longer be inhaling all those ageing chemicals.
Reducing your alcohol intake
Just like smoking, we all know that drinking too much is bad for us, and the chances are we’ve all overindulged a bit over the festive season. So, what better time than now to cut back on the booze and reap the benefits?
And if you’ve got a cosmetic surgery procedure coming up, reducing your alcohol intake can seriously improve your outcome. In fact, surgeons recommend you don’t drink anything at all for at least 48 hours prior to your procedure, in order to:
- Reduce the risk of problems with anaesthesia
- Improve blood clotting
- Reduce post-operative bleeding
Starting an exercise regime
It’s an undeniable fact that fitter, healthier bodies recover better from surgery, with reduced risk of complications and improved healing time. In fact, after quitting smoking, physicians say that regular exercise is the best thing anyone can do to prepare for surgery.
There’s even a word for pre-surgical exercise regimes: prehabilitation. Surgeons claim that any increase in exercise levels before surgery can improve your results and allow you to return to normal life more quickly afterwards, but the fitter you are, the better. And just like with quitting smoking, getting physically fit can only enhance the aesthetic results of cosmetic surgery.
Improving your sleep hygiene
All those late nights can take their toll on your appearance and your health, and vowing to get your full eight hours every night has to be one of the most positive new year’s resolutions anyone can make. But how can better sleep habits help you prepare for cosmetic surgery?
Sleep is one of the most important factors in staying healthy, and just like quitting smoking or starting an exercise regime, getting good quality sleep in the run up to surgery can reduce the risk of complications and improve your recovery time.
The great news is that all the things mentioned previously – quitting smoking, reducing your alcohol intake and embarking on a fitness regime – can actually help you to get a better night’s sleep.
If you needed more reasons stick to your new year’s resolutions, just remember that not only will you look and feel fitter and healthier, you’ll also be preparing for cosmetic surgery in the best possible way. For more guidance from the cosmetic surgery experts, call 0207 432 8727 to arrange a consultation at Karidis Clinic.
