Pre & Post Surgery
After plastic surgery, it is normal for the patient to present: pain, oedema, bruises and other discomforts resulting from the procedure. With proper treatment and techniques, we can minimize complaints and optimize surgery results, reducing patient discomfort and trauma. Post-surgical treatment can start either inside the operating room or after the surgical procedure, depending on your plastic surgeon's guidelines and recommendations. There are several resources that can be used in the post-surgery period, such as Manual Lymphatic Drainage, Manual Therapy, the use of Taping (Elastic Bandage) and Electrotherapy, which have been showing efficacy and positive results for the patient's rehabilitation. Post-surgical treatment can be performed in the immediate or late postoperative period, aiming to prevent: oedema, skin emphysema, scar retraction, fibrosis, seroma, sensitivity deficit, muscle and joint contracture. Preoperatively, lymphatic drainage sessions are always welcome as a way to prepare your body for surgery, making the healing and recovery process much faster and with less discomfort. The ideal is to do some lymphatic drainage sessions before surgery in conjunction with your doctor's guidelines in terms of nutrition and habits to be avoided days before surgery.
LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE
To obtain an important and significant result of manual lymphatic drainage, it is vital that the physiotherapist has knowledge of the anatomy of the lymphatic system and its physiology. The main objective of manual lymphatic drainage is to drain excess fluid accumulated in the interstitial spaces in order to maintain the balance of tissue and hydrostatic pressures. Manual lymphatic drainage must be slow, smooth and rhythmic, causing a good relaxation of the patient and the body (since pain is not part of this approach) and directing this stagnant fluid to the lymphatic collectors, thus increasing lymphatic absorption. The indication of manual lymphatic drainage in the preoperative period is due to the fact that it helps to detoxify your body, improve the appearance of the skin, and nourish and hydrate the tissues. Postoperatively, drainage reduces fluid accumulation, reduces bruises and bruises, as it facilitates blood removal, decongesting vessels and tissues, activating, cleaning, regularizing and nourishing tissues, strengthening the body's capacity for self-defence and .
MANUAL THERAPY
It is a set of manual techniques, which are used to treat fibrosis and adhesions, which can happen after any surgical procedure. Fibrosis is caused after tissue trauma, where the body produces an excess of scar tissue (collagen), this tissue has a rigid and irregular appearance. The appearance of fibrosis after a surgical procedure is a physiological response of the body, but it needs adequate treatment, as it can have aesthetic and functional consequences, compromising the final result of the surgery and bringing frustration after the procedure. Manual therapy aims to reorganize the fibrous tissue, without causing more trauma or stimulating collagen synthesis, reestablishing tissue functionality and contributing to a good aesthetic result.
COMPRESSIVE ELASTIC BANDAGE (TAPING)
Taping is a technique that has been increasingly used intra and postoperatively. It is the application of an adhesive elastic tape, which is hypoallergenic, which stays in contact with the skin for a few days. The Tape Application helps in the treatment/prevention of oedema, reduction of bruises, reduction of seroma formation, helps in the prevention and/or treatment of fibrosis, helps in the prevention and/or treatment of suture dehiscence. It can be used in intraoperative, immediate or late postoperative period. It is noteworthy that the Bandage/Taping should be used as a complementary treatment, as it helps to minimize complications and enables a faster and more effective recovery.