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Step 1
Attend the initial consultation with the surgeon. Act as a "second ear" for your friend or loved one, because the surgeon will be passing along a lot of useful and important information about the surgery and the recovery period. It may help to take notes.
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Step 2
Discuss the pros and cons of the surgery with the patient, including what she expects from it.
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Step 3
Be available to act as a chauffeur after the surgery to drive your friend home. The patient will be give either a local or general anesthesia and will be too groggy to drive safely. It's smart for your friend to have both a driver and a backup driver in place.
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Step 4
Help with heavy household chores. The patient must avoid any demanding activity that raises her blood pressure for 2 to 3 weeks. You can help immensely by doing a load of laundry, vacuuming the carpet or mowing the lawn.
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Step 5
Learn about possible complications. They include infection, an adverse reaction to anesthesia, numbness and temporary discomfort.
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Step 6
See that the patient spends the first 2 days after the surgery in bed with his head elevated.
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Step 7
Make sure your friend takes any antibiotics the doctor has prescribed through completion.
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Step 8
Prepare healthy, nutritious meals for the patient. This will help speed her recovery.
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Step 9
Make sure the patient carefully follows all of the surgeon's instruction for postoperative care. You may have to act as a watchdog to keep your friend from smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol.
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Step 10
Cheer your friend up if he becomes depressed. A little depression is normal after brow lift surgery.
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Step 11
Call the patient's doctor immediately if she is experiencing excessive pain, has any symptoms that don't seem normal or becomes incoherent.
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Step 12
Read a book like "Cosmetic Surgery: Before, Between and After" by Susan Gail, available at Amazon, if you want to learn more (see Resources below).
