After just about any cosmetic plastic surgery, most patients are concerned about:

• Swelling
• Bruising
• Healing times

Of course, your surgeon will, or has, provided after surgery patients with medications to take care of the most common concerns.

But some foods have natural properties that assist in healing, most particularly after rhinoplasty. It should not be a burden to anybody that fresh papaya and fresh pineapple in your diet can help reduce bruising and swelling after cosmetic plastic surgery.

          (See some before & after rhinoplasty photos.)

Bruising happens after various injuries and specifically after surgery because blood leaks from veins and arteries which are inadvertently opened during surgery. Bruising? That’s just blood staining the tissues just under the skin. While circulating blood is bright red, escaped blood turns color and shows as dark or reddish purple, due to having no access to oxygen.

The body’s defenses send scavenger elements to the site to digest the loose blood. While digesting that blood, the blood changes to green and then to yellow as Mother Nature hauls the blood debris away and then starts the repair work.

(Look at some permanent, non-surgical rhinoplasty before & after pictures.

So where do Papaya and Pineapple enter the picture? Those fruits both contain a natural enzyme, Papase, which helps in the digestion process. Few patients object to having fresh pineapple and papaya which are in ample supply year around. So, we encourage those items to be included in an after-surgery diet.

Patients’ diets after cosmetic plastic surgery should also contain lots of protein like lean meat, fish, nuts and dairy foods, items which are the building blocks of tissue repair.

          (See some revision rhinoplasty before & after pictures.)

Here’s yet another after cosmetic plastic surgery bug-bear not as evident as bruising and swelling: constipation. For one, post-surgery patients are not as physically active. For another, pain medications – and especially opioid-based pain killers — contribute to that plugged up feeling. So, all liquids including fruit juices, fruits and vegetables should be on order for post-cosmetic plastic surgery patients.

When patients are back up on their feet and moving around more, the colon becomes more active, naturally reducing constipation.