Using Makeup to Improve Your Appearance
After Plastic Surgery
Part I

You have decided to have facial plastic surgery. The procedure is over and you are recovering well. You are anxious to return to everyday life and eager to go back to work. How quickly you can resume normal activities depends on how you feel and how you look. Dr. Hagerty will be able to tell you when you are physically ready, but you are the only one who can decide how comfortable you feel with the way you look.

There is virtually no plastic surgery procedure that is without some temporary cosmetic side. Dr. Hagerty will have told you that you may experience some post-surgery discomfort such as swelling, bruising, or visible incision marks and it may take a while for those to disappear completely. The good news is that there are a variety of makeup products and techniques that will help to camouflage these side effects and let you go back out into the world confidently and comfortably.

Applying makeup of any kind, under any circumstances is an art that involves skill. Learn the techniques and they will help you immediately after surgery and in the future. It's best to speak to Dr. Hagerty or a member of his staff so that they can walk you through the use of camouflage cosmetics. You will want to know when it's safe to apply makeup. Most people can begin to cover up bruising or disguise swelling as soon as a day or two after surgery. To hide incision lines, you will need to wait until your stitches have been removed and your incision(s) is completely closed.

After having nose surgery, once the cast is removed, you may safely begin using makeup. With a chemical peel or dermabrasion, if a crust has forms, you will need to wait until it has completely disappeared.