NICHOLAS BASTIDAS, MD
Plastic, Reconstructive & Craniofacial Surgery
Assistant Professor of Surgery
North Shore-LIJ Hofstra School of Medicine
Long Island Office
1991 Marcus Ave., Suite 102
Lake Success, NY 11042
(T) 516-497-7900
(F)516.497.7920
Manhattan Office
210 East 68th St., Suite 1F
New York, NY 10065
(T) 212.485.0616
E-mail
Post-op Instructions for
Excisions/Closures/Skin Grafts
General Postoperative Instructions
Unless you had a skin graft procedure, please remove all the dressings (except for the steri-strip) after 48
hours and shower normally. If you had a skin graft operation, please DO NOT REMOVE the dressing
until our first post-op visit.
Wound Healing
We use sutures or staples to support your surgical wounds until sufficient healing of tissues occurs. You
may notice some slight redness around individual sutures. Notify us if the redness extends beyond the
entire line of the incision or if the suture line becomes extremely tender or very swollen. This may
indicate an early infection, which should be treated with antibiotics. Unless covered by a Steri-strip,
Bacitracin OR Mupirocin ointments, should be applied on a regular basis to keep the wounds moist (3
times/day). This promotes healing, prevents infection, and allows easier suture removal. We may also
recommended cleaning the wound twice daily with a mixture of 1:1 Hydrogen Peroxide and Water. This
will help prevent crust formation.
Suture Removal (if not resorbable)
Dr Bastidas will remove your sutures sometime between postoperative days 4 and 10. An occasional
suture may be sore when removed, but you should not experience undue pain during this removal
process. If you wish, take Tylenol, Ibuprofen (400-600mg), or a prescribed pain medication (if you were
given one), prior to the office visit to alleviate some of the potential discomfort.
Scars
Your wounds heal by scar formation. Although we take great pains to make the scars virtually
imperceptible, healing takes from several months to a full year. Be patient during this period. Use
sunblock with at least an SPF 15 during the first 6 months following surgery. Sunblock helps to prevent
discoloration of the scar. Silicone sheeting has been shown in some studies to improve the appearance of
scars over the long-term. We recommend Mepitac Silicone Tape #298300 (amazon.com) as an
inexpensive tape that can be applied daily. Beginning 4 weeks after your operation, we also recommend
massaging the scars using moisturizer, at least daily
Swelling
All surgery on your skin is followed by some degree of temporary swelling. You may find this
disconcerting, as it may distort your facial features; however, it is only temporary. If the swelling occurs
painfully over the course of a few hours, please call or report to the nearest emergency room.
Discoloration / Bruising
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NICHOLAS BASTIDAS, MD
Plastic, Reconstructive & Craniofacial Surgery
Assistant Professor of Surgery
North Shore-LIJ Hofstra School of Medicine
Long Island Office
1991 Marcus Ave., Suite 102
Lake Success, NY 11042
(T) 516-497-7900
(F)516.497.7920
Manhattan Office
210 East 68th St., Suite 1F
New York, NY 10065
(T) 212.485.0616
E-mail
Small amounts of blood that accumulate in your tissues in the
early postoperative period cause discoloration. You may not
notice the discoloration for 1 to 2 days following surgery. It
should completely disappear by 3 weeks after surgery. Makeup
may be used to camouflage the discolored areas after the first week.
Temperature
The body temperature may rise slightly to 100 degrees after surgery. If the fever persists more than 24
hours and after liberal amounts of fluids have been taken, you should report your condition. Do not
estimate the temperature: Use a thermometer.
Pain
There is usually minimal/moderate pain after surgery. It is worsened by anxiety. Swelling does cause a
tight or bruised feeling. Take the medication for pain we have given you, but only as much as needed.
Excessive use of pain medication may prolong your recovery.
** Don’t injure the operated area; be careful of small children.
** Don’t smoke at all or drink excessively.
** Don’t pick at the operated area if it itches; Do not pull off any crusts – allow them to fall
themselves.
** Don’t take aspirin unless cleared by Dr. Bastidas
** Don’t apply makeup directly over the suture lines for the first 7 days postoperatively.
** Don’t get the dressings wet unless it is a steri-strip. You may shower or bathe as long as
the dressing stays dry.
** If you have any questions about your postoperative care, contact Dr. Bastidas
immediately at 516-497-7900.
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