Avoid Traveling Too Soon
While your doctor will tell you when the right time to travel is, the experts we spoke to say not to be in a rush to get back home if you’ve undergone major surgery. “I recommend my facial surgery patients stay local for the first 8-10 days,” says Kirkland, WA facial plastic surgeon Daniel J. Liebertz, MD. “After that they are free to travel at their leisure, as long as they continue to follow our restriction guidelines which includes not lifting even moderately heavy luggage.”
Houston plastic surgeon Kriti Mohan, MD says for short breast procedures, patients can travel as early as 24 hours later, but only if the travel time is less than four hours. “If it is much longer travel, we suggest waiting at least 2-3 days before traveling back home,” she explains. “We always have our patients come see us in clinic for follow up prior to them leaving town.”
For smaller facial surgeries, New York plastic surgeon William Lao, MD agrees on a quick turnaround time, but notes that for large body procedures, it’s recommended to be on the more cautious side. “If it’s something small like an eyelid surgery or a scar revision, I think it’s easy to travel even the day after. However, if it’s something that requires suture removal, then probably five days to a week is better. If a large body contouring procedure was performed, then I recommend no long travel until at least four to six weeks after,” notes the surgeon.