Both Hot and Cold therapy packs can be very effective in helping a patient recover from a cosmetic surgery procedure. Hot and Cold packs are frequently used by plastic surgery patients to reduce swelling and bruising and work faster than most pain medications. While some doctors allow their patients to use regular ice packs or bags of frozen peas a gel pack is a better solution to some of these more traditional methods. Gel packs can easily mold to the contours of the skin, will not place any unnecessary pressure on the skin, and won_t leak.
Cold packs are very effective at reducing post operative swelling, bruising and pain associated with plastic surgery procedures. These packs are easily chilled simply by being placed in the freezer for anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes.
Hot packs help reduce the appearance of bruising and will provide heat and moisture to areas of discomfort. You should consult with your doctor about when to begin using hot packs, but traditionally these items can be used around 2 to 4 days after surgery. Hot packs can be warmed several different ways and it will likely just depend on the type of pack being used. The packs can be heated by hot or boiling water as well as the microwave.
