You must sleep on your back for the first week following surgery.
No lifting of heavy objects in the first week following your surgery. Limit your arm movements as well. You may increase your activities depending on your healing.
You will be fitted with a support vest after your surgery. This vest must be worn 24 hours a day for one month for the conventional method.
If doing the correction of gynecomastia using the Smartlipo, the vest must be worn for only two weeks.
You may begin taking showers four days after surgery. Baths should be avoided for 4 weeks. You may wash with a mild soap (Ivory or Dove) directly on the wounds and on the steristrips (pieces of tape on wounds). You may or may not have steristrips. If this is the case, as the steristrips begin to loosen up with time you may remove them with a pair of tweezers. You should start to remove the steristrips by the end of the second week after your surgery and they should all be removed by the end of the third week. Once all steristrips have been removed, you will notice some fine sutures sticking out of the skin. These are purposely left long as all the suturing is done beneath the skin and once we arrive at the end of the incision, the suture is left long by the surgeon so that you may easily find it and cut it flush with the skin. Do not pull the suture but simply cut it close to the skin.
It is normal to have some yellowish discharge from the incisions or sometimes even some blood. The discharge is due to the "melting" stitches dissolving.
It is normal to have some small openings of the wounds during healing. Simply keep these areas clean and, should there be openings, apply some Polysporin ointment (non prescription drug) two or three times each day.
Avoid all strenuous exercise for four to six weeks following surgery.
Avoid driving an automobile while you are taking your painkillers.
You will be given a prescription for pain medicine, take this only when you are having discomfort.DO NOT TAKE ANY ASPIRIN or any medications containing aspirin for the first two weeks prior and after surgery. Tylenol is a good substitute for aspirin.
In case of persistent vomiting or nausea, use Gravol in a suppository form.
