Postoperative pain is part of the recovery for cosmetic surgery patients, which is why they have to know what to expect after undergoing any type of procedure.  Pain levels differ for one patient to another after the same exact procedure and this could be explained by the number of pain receptors and their sensitivity. Other factors certainly come into play such as ethnicity, personal experience, anxiety, stress and many others.

Managing postoperative pain

Information is essential for cosmetic surgery patients and surgeons are responsible for giving this information to their patient prior to surgery. Any type of procedure has to be explained as well as what is causing pain, when it occurs, what type of pain to expect, how long it will last and how to alleviate it. All this information makes pain more tolerable for patients, even though surgeons make sure postoperative pain will never be an issue by prescribing medication and giving specific instructions. Managing stress before, during and after the procedure also contributes to better pain management.

Different procedures cause different types of pain

Many procedures do not cause pain, but rather discomfort: rhinoplasty, facelifts, eyelid lifts, breast lifts are a few examples. Liposuction surgery can cause moderate pain and certain areas of the body are more sensitive than others. Breast augmentation and tummy tuck surgeries cause highly variable pain levels in each patient.

Postoperative does not depend on the procedure

Interestingly, after the same procedure, certain patients feel pain whereas others don’t. Experienced surgeons are able to predict pain levels to expect after each procedure to inform their patients. Suited medication and rest easily control and alleviate pain during the initial recovery. Several other factors are important and discussed during the preoperative consultations.