The holiday season is the most popular time of year for cosmetic surgery but in the excitement of a new look for holiday parties or the new year, patients often schedule procedures without allowing for adequate time to heal.

Dr. Stacy Sam, Founder and President of a leading Houston luxury aftercare service called VIP Recovery Care, encourages anyone considering plastic surgery, either to be holiday-ready or to take advantage of holiday vacation time-off, to start planning now, know how long the average recovery time is for the procedure you are considering, and schedule your cosmetic surgery with recovery time to spare to debut your new look!

“Every procedure has a different average recovery time, and every patient is different and may recover more quickly or need more time to heal than the benchmarks,” said Dr. Sam. “What you do, or don’t do, in the days and weeks after cosmetic surgery can also make all the difference in how quickly you heal and how successful the results will be. The key is to put as much thought into your recovery as the surgery itself and give yourself some extra time in your planning, especially around the holidays, to properly heal so you can arrive at your event or head back to the office with confidence.”

Whether you are considering facial, breast or body surgery, the required recovery times for these procedures can range from weeks to months. Dr. Sam has assembled the following recovery time guidelines for some of the most popular holiday procedures to help those considering a new look to plan for the best outcomes possible:

Breast Augmentation

Full recovery from breast augmentation takes several weeks, but most patients can return to normal daily activities, with restrictions, in just 2-3 days.

Return to Work: 3 to 5 days post-op

Bruising & Swelling: Peaks at 24 to 48 hours post-op; subsides over 2 to 3 months

Resume Exercise: 3 to 6 weeks post-op

Resume Wearing Underwire Bra: 4 to 6 weeks post-op

Final Results: 3 to 6 months post-op

Facelift Surgery Recovery

If you’re planning a holiday time facelift reveal, give yourself 2-4 weeks for recovery.

Bruising & Swelling: Peaks 48 hours post-op; subsides over 10 to 14 days

Resume Wearing Makeup: 1 week post-op

Remove Sutures: 7 to 10 days post-op

Return to Work: 7 to 10 days post-op

Resume Normal Activity: 2 weeks post-op

Final Results: 3 to 6 months post-op

Tummy Tuck Recovery

Tummy Tucks require months for final results, making the winter holidays an ideal time to have the procedure to be bikini-ready by summer. Most patients require about two weeks before returning to work and a normal schedule and will need to have a caregiver to help them with getting up, using the restroom, and other daily activities for the first 1-2 days after surgery.

Remove Drains: 1 week post-op

Return to Work: 2 to 4 weeks post-op

Resume Normal Activity: 2 to 4 weeks post-op

Wear Compression Garments: 6 to 8 weeks post-op

Bruising & Swelling: Subsides 2 to 3 months post-op; residual swelling for up to 18 months

Final Results: 4 to 6 months post-op

Rhinoplasty Recovery

Patients looking for a pre-holiday Rhinoplasty (often referred to as a nose job) should allow a minimum of 14 days for recovery before attending a special event.

Bruising & Swelling: Subsides 10 to 14 days post-op; residual swelling for up to one year

Remove Splint: 5 to 7 days post-op

Return to Work: 1 week post-op

Resume Normal Activity: 3 weeks post-op

Final Results: 1 year post-op

The winter holidays are the most popular time for plastic surgery procedures because they offer convenient advantages like sweater weather to hide post-op compression garments, more time spent indoors and out of the sun, and more time off from work to discreetly recover.

The key to achieving the best results from your surgical investment says Dr. Sam, is advance planning to give yourself the time and the resources available to heal optimally, and not rush through recovery, so you can look and feel your best in time for the holiday season and new year.

Dr. Sam, Ph.D., RN, MSN, MPH, is an 18-year veteran registered nurse, college professor, and specialist in women’s health and plastic surgery recovery who launched VIP Recovery Care to address the lack of recovery options available to patients undergoing cosmetic and plastic surgery in Houston.

Her VIP Recovery Care service, which provides plastic surgery patients with specialized 24/7 post-operative nursing care and all the amenities of first-class hotels in private penthouse recovery suites, offers services to ensure plastic surgery patients receive both the customized medical attention they need to help reduce pain and swelling, promote healing and improve recovery times, while offering personal relaxation and pampering services that promote overall health and wellbeing in the days and weeks after surgery.

The VIP suites offer 24-hour nursing care and staff MD, luxury transportation, organic meals, snacks and full in-suite custom-stocked kitchens, postoperative care coordination with surgeons, and aftercare specialists that help patients with pain management, wound care, dressing changes, complication prevention, bathroom assistance and other postsurgical medical needs, while also offering concierge medical and spa amenities like therapeutic and lymphatic massage, IV Therapy, manicures, pedicures, and hair care.

For more information on VIP’s personal recovery services, please visit https://www.viprecoverycare.com.