If you sustained a serious injury to your face in an accident, you may be looking into the possibility of facial reconstructive surgery. For others, facial reconstructive surgery may be for purely cosmetic reasons, with the intent to come out of the surgery looking younger or just better in general than you did before. Whatever the reason you are interested, it's important to note that this is a serious procedure, and you'll need to make sure you are fully prepared before you move forward. While your surgeon will no doubt have some suggestions for you, here are some tips to keep in mind before scheduling or moving forward with facial reconstructive surgery.

Fix Other Medical Problems First or Tell Your Surgeon About Your Other Issues

Facial reconstruction is a complicated process that can put a lot of additional stress on your body. It is generally recommended that a person be in otherwise good health before undergoing this type of procedure. 

For example, if you have additional injuries that still need to heal as the result of an accident, make sure the rest of your body is as close to 100 percent as possible before attempting facial reconstruction. It will take some time for your face to recover from the surgery, and you don't want your body to have to work on repairing additional injuries at the same time. Tell your surgeon about any other health concerns at your first appointment, and be open about how you really feel.

Hydration and a Proper Diet is Important Before and After

You would expect your doctor to give you some diet tips to follow after your surgery is complete, in the interest of helping your body heal faster. But for best results, you should be closely watching your diet before you go under the knife. A body that is already well-stocked in vitamins like A and D and well-hydrated thanks to drinking lots of water in the week before the surgery will be better prepared to start healing right away. Proper nutrition and hydration can also help your body fight off a potential infection before it becomes a problem.

Stop All Drug Use Unless Prescribed By a Doctor

If putting the right amount of water or vitamins into your body before the surgery is important, then so making sure you don't consume anything that could be bad for you. In order to heal wounds, your body needs an ample supply of oxygen in the blood, and some recreational drugs can reduce this. Smoking in particular is very bad for you right before surgery because of what it does to your blood's oxygen supply. Keep in mind that alcohol is technically a drug as well. Talk to your doctor and be honest about what you are putting into your body.