Prior to undergoing plastic surgery, many of our patients express concern about how much pain they will have during recovery. To meet this concern, we have taken steps that work to minimize post-procedure pain. We call our system Rapid Recovery.

While it is difficult to make any surgery completely pain free, we have succeeded in making our procedures very low pain. This allows patients to be comfortable from the moment the procedure is completed and our nurses take care of them in the recovery room, to when they continue their recuperation at home. Our goal is to make post-procedure pain something akin to the soreness that accompanies a very strenuous workout at the gym.

Many of our patients travel from out of town, so Rapid Recovery helps them remain comfortable in the unfamiliar environment of a hotel, in the car for a sometimes long drive, or on the plane flight home some days later.

The program involves Dr. LeTard, CRNA or our ACLS, nurse, asst. and patients all working together to minimize pain. Each of these individuals has a key role in working to minimize post-procedure pain.

Rapid Recovery begins well before surgery day. This phase takes the form of educating patients about the program and the steps we will be taking to minimize pain. Once concerns are alleviated, patients continue the process toward surgery much more comfortably. The program continues during all aspects of surgery through recuperation at home.

• Rapid Recovery consists of these steps:
  Providing patient education before surgery

• Giving patients prescriptions for pain relievers and anti-nausea medicines for their recuperation

• Using a CRNACLS nurse during every cosmetic procedure, to ensure patient safety and to administer pain and anti-nausea medications during the surgery

• Doing all our procedures in a AAAHC and Medicare certified surgery center, to assure the highest standards in our patient care, safety, medications, sterility, lighting, and equipment

• Employing extra-gentle tissue handling techniques during surgery, to minimize trauma and resulting pain

• Applying long-acting local anesthetics to surgical sites during the procedure, so pain centers are not stimulated during early recuperation

• Communicating with patients when they first awake using a nurse-patient interactive pain picture chart, and giving pain medicine as soon as patients report discomfort � before the onset of any true pain (see picture chart above)

• Remaining in close contact with patients during their recuperation, to make certain any discomfort is controlled � and altering pain medicines if necessary

Patient response to Rapid Recovery has been excellent. It is important to stress, however, that even though patients may have very little pain following surgery they must still limit their physical activities so their recovery can proceed without complication.