A lot of Southwest Plastic Surgery’s patients fly in. Surgery in the morning, a hotel two blocks away by afternoon. Dr. Frank Agullo on how the week after runs, in his words.
Day One
“Depending on the procedure, my nurse will usually visit you at the hotel or at your residence in El Paso to help you with your first shower, teach you about drain care, give you IV fluids if necessary, and check your vitals. For smaller procedures, a nurse visit is not necessary. We will usually do a FaceTime follow-up the day after your surgery, or have you come in for an in-person visit.”
“For large procedures, we offer an overnight stay in our surgical center, and my nurse does a post-operative in-person visit at the hotel or at their home 24 hours later. These nurse visits can be extended. As an option, we also offer 24-hour in-person nursing services for patients who are traveling alone.”
Who Stays With You
“For smaller procedures, we want the patient to be accompanied by an adult for at least the first 24 hours. This allows the anesthesia to wear off, so that the patient is awake and alert. For larger procedures like tummy tucks or body lifts, the patient will usually require assistance for the first three to four days, to get in and out of bed, go to the restroom, shower, and get in and out of the surgical garments.”
“A family member is enough most of the time.”
“The week after surgery is rather busy, and patients usually come in and out of our clinic for different treatment modalities and follow-ups, so an aftercare house or a full-time in-person nurse is not really necessary.”
| Smaller procedures | Tummy tuck, body lift, buttock implants | |
|---|---|---|
| Time off | About a week | Up to two weeks |
| Adult with you | First 24 hours | First three to four days |
| Nurse | FaceTime or office next day | In person at the hotel at 24 hours; extended visits available |
| Alone in town | Ask the patient coordinator about 24-hour nursing |
The Rest of the Week
“Most procedures will require about a week of recovery time at home. We still want the patient standing and walking around, and they can usually start doing some normal activities at home in three to four days.”
“Depending on whether you’ve had liposuction or not, I would recommend lymphatic drainage massages, and you would be coming into the clinic for those treatments at least two or three times the first week.”
“The first week after surgery is not a time for dieting. We want you to have a good intake of protein, because your body is working overtime and burning excessive calories in order to repair the incisions and your tissues.”
Massage details: lymphatic drainage after surgery. Protein: the practice’s protein powder post.
The Wristband
“All our patients get a wristband with a 24-hour hotline with access to one of my nurses, 24 hours a day. We really want to know of any changes or questions the patient has, so we can catch things sooner rather than later.”
“I want to be called if there are any changes in the vital signs: if there is tachycardia, if there are fevers, if the patient is having difficulty breathing, if the patient feels faint or dizzy, if the patient is not voiding, or if it has been more than 72 hours without a bowel movement. Also if there is increased drainage or the color of the drainage from the JP drains has changed, any breakage or opening in the wounds, or any changes in the color of the skin, whether it becomes dark, red, or bruised.”
Tachycardia means a racing heart; voiding means urinating. Difficulty breathing or chest pain is a 911 call first, then the hotline.
His Three Rules
“I really would insist on the patient following all our recommendations. But if I had to pick the three most important things, it would be staying active, meaning being up and walking around, not lying in bed; drinking enough fluids and eating enough protein to help with wound healing; and taking all their medications and supplements as instructed. If the patient had liposuction, then lymphatic drainage massages are a must, together with their surgical garments.”
The week before is covered in the pre-op call and supplements before surgery posts; the travel logistics in traveling to El Paso for a tummy tuck. Dr. Agullo’s full first-person read is on agulloplasticsurgery.com; the commentary is on drworldwide.com.
Why Choose Dr. Agullo
Dr. Frank Agullo is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, completed his plastic surgery fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, and serves as Clinical Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. He has been a Castle Connolly Top Doctor for thirteen consecutive years, 2014 through 2026. Southwest Plastic Surgery’s nurses visit patients at their hotel the day after surgery, and the hotline on the wristband reaches one of them around the clock.
Ready to Talk?
Southwest Plastic Surgery plans the hotel week with the surgery. Ask the patient coordinator what yours would look like.
Call (915) 590-7900, text 1-866-814-0038, or book online at swplasticsurgery.com. #StayBeautiful
Find Dr. Agullo at @RealDrWorldWide on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, @Agullo on X, or @AgulloPlasticSurgery on Facebook.
