What to Wear to Surgery

“What do I wear on the day of my procedure?”

This is a question we occasionally hear at our Illinois plastic surgery practice, but you may not think about it until the night before or possibly even the morning of your procedure. To have an idea of where to start, and to fill you in on some things that might surprise you, we put together this blog post of what we suggest wearing.

Loose and comfortable

The first thing to think about is comfort. You don’t want anything too tight or restricting. We suggest a zip or button top that is easy to get on and off without pulling it over your head. You’ll want to be careful with that, especially with a face procedure or breast augmentation.

Next, you should wear loose-fitting sweatpants. Again, something that is easy to put on and take off and nothing too tight. You may have compression garments after your procedure to help shape your final contour, and you don’t want any additional pressure that may negatively affect your results.

I would suggest wearing some warm socks. It can sometimes be cold in the operating room and also, who doesn’t like fuzzy socks?

Lastly, we suggest wearing slide-on shoes. For most procedures, it won’t be very comfortable to bend over to tie your shoes immediately after, and something you can slip on and off will be so much easier for you.

Do not wear

You should not wear any jewelry. No rings, necklaces, or piercings of any kind. If you have something that cannot be removed, please let the admitting nurse know right away. This can potentially lead to complications during the procedure.

What surprised me the most with the restrictions is the no products rule. You shouldn’t wear makeup or any product in your hair. No nail polish on fingers or toes either. You also cannot use any skincare products, including moisturizer and lotion! This is something that many people, myself included, would not think about before going in to have a procedure.

Reminders

If you’re having a facelift, tummy tuck, or other procedure at our practice near St. Louis, all of this information is included in your pre-op paperwork! Please look through it for a list of restrictions and suggestions on what to wear and what not to wear the day of your procedure. If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to call us at 618-288-7855, option 4. If you’re just starting to consider a breast, face, or body procedure, use our online contact form to request a consultation.