Post-Operative Instructions for Forehead Reduction Surgery
After Surgery:
• Take all prescribed medications as directed.
• Keep your head elevated at a 30–45° angle while sleeping for 1–2 weeks to minimize swelling.
• Do not touch the incision or remove the dressing unless instructed by your surgeon.
• Keep the incision clean and dry, following your daily wound care instructions.
• Do not wash your hair until your surgeon permits it. Once allowed, use a mild shampoo and avoid rubbing the incision.
• Avoid hair dye, chemical hair treatments, or hot hair dryers for 4–6 weeks, or as directed by your surgeon.
• Avoid smoking, shisha, and alcohol, as they may delay healing.
• Avoid direct sun exposure. Once the incision has healed, use sunscreen if the area is exposed to sunlight.
• Mild swelling, bruising, or temporary numbness of the scalp is common and usually resolves gradually over several weeks to months.
• Attend all follow-up appointments for suture removal (if non-absorbable sutures were used) and wound evaluation.
Contact Your Surgeon Immediately If You Experience:
• A temperature above 38°C (100.4°F).
• Persistent bleeding or sudden worsening of swelling.
• Yellow discharge or foul-smelling drainage from the incision.
• Severe redness or increasing pain.
• Separation of the wound.
• Severe or persistent headache that does not improve with pain medication, or any changes in vision.
Most swelling improves within the first two weeks, while the final result and scar maturation may take several months.