Do not take the following for two weeks before and two weeks after surgery: aspirin, Ibuprofen or related products, Plavix, Viagra, Coumadin, St. John’s Wort, Vitamin E or other herbal supplement.
- If you had a forehead flap or nasolabial flap repair, keep your dressing dry until your follow-up appointment. This is generally scheduled two to four days after your initial operation. We will provide more information on wound care at that visit.
- If you had a rotation or advancement flap of the face or neck, remove the dressing 48 hours after surgery. Then, wash the wound twice daily with mild soap and water, then apply a light coat of Vaseline with a Q-tip. You may cover the wound at work or school if desired, but in general, it is important to leave the wound uncovered as much as possible beginning 48 hours after the procedure. If the dressing gets wet at any time, remove it immediately because a wet dressing can promote infection.
- If you had a skin graft performed, there will be a yellow bolster dressing sewn onto the graft site. Keep this dry until your first follow-up visit, which is generally 5 to 7 days after the surgery. The donor site (where the skin for grafting came from) can be treated as in the paragraph above.
- A certain amount of swelling and redness is expected after any reconstructive procedure. If the redness and swelling continue to increase (especially associated with a fever), call your doctor, as this may be an indication of infection.
- Never place ice on a flap or graft following the procedure.
- A certain amount of drainage may be expected after flap procedures, especially with forehead or cheek flaps. This may take several days to resolve.
- Mederma and Vitamin E cream are often helpful after facial reconstruction. Your doctor will advise you when to begin these products.
- Avoid aspirin, aspirin-related products, sexually enhancing drugs (Viagra,Cialis,Levitra), Vitamin E, herbal supplements, St. John’s Wort, Plavix, Coumadin, Motrin, Ibuprofen, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (e.g. Motrin, Advil, and Ibuprofen, Aleve) two weeks prior and two weeks after surgery.
- If you have any additional questions or problems, please call the office.