Patient Resources
This is a great place to get more information that may be relevant for your care. Below are resources that will help you prepare for your upcoming surgery, information that you may need post-operatively, and answers to frequently asked questions.
Consultation
During our initial meeting, we will review your symptoms, how they have affected you, your goals, and complete a physical exam. Together, we will develop a treatment plan that best suits your needs.
Before coming to your appointment, please remember to complete the patient intake form through the Telus CHR portal (https://yeungplasticsurgery.inputhealth.com), using the following Patient Intake Form link.
Before Surgery
Thank you for taking the time to review instructions before your upcoming surgery.
01
Please do not eat or drink anything after midnight.
On the night before your surgery, please do not eat or drink anything after midnight. This includes water, breath mints, or even chewing gum. Having food in your stomach increases your risk during surgery.
02
Arrival Time
If your operation is at North York General Hospital, please arrive to the Day Surgery Registration desk (NYGH, General Site, 1st floor, 4001 Leslie Street, Toronto, ON) at least 2 hours before your surgery
03
Bring a designated driver
Please make arrangements to have someone bring you home on the day of your surgery. If you do not have someone to bring you home, your case will be cancelled. You will not be able to drive yourself and you cannot use a taxi or Uber.
04
Medications
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Consult your family doctor or cardiologist about whether you can discontinue taking scheduled medications (e.g. ones for diabetes, aspirin, or other blood thinners) prior to your surgery.
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If you are advised to continue taking your medication, take it only with a sip of water.
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If you had a pre-operative assessment, please follow the instructions provided to you.
05
Please refrain from smoking
If you smoke cigarettes or marijuana, please refrain from smoking 4-6 weeks before your surgery to prevent wound healing complications.
07
Additional notes
Please be aware that some additional medical notes may have an associated fee.
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If you had breast or body surgery, please bring the appropriate garments as instructed either on the day of surgery or your first follow-up visit.
06
Late or Cancellations
If you are late or do not show up for your surgery, you may be subject to a late or cancellation fee.
08
Summary
If you would like to download a summary of this information, please click the link below.
After Surgery
You've just had surgery! Below are instructions that will help you in your recovery process.
After your surgery, you will also receive an instruction sheet specific to your operation and care.
Diet
You may resume your regular diet after you recover from anesthesia.
Activity
If you had hand surgery, please do not weight-bear, lift, push, pull anything heavier than a pencil until your follow-up. Please keep your hand elevated to decrease swelling and pain.
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If you had other plastic surgery, please follow the activity instructions given to you.
Wound Care
Please follow the instructions given to you as to whether you should keep your dressing intact until follow-up vs remove and wash with soap and water.
Pain Medications
Local anesthetic will wear off in 2-4 hours. Regional anesthetic will wear off in 12-18 hours. You should expect to feel the most amount of pain in the first 48-72 hours.
Please take Tylenol, anti-inflammatory (with food) regularly as prescribed even if you do not feel pain for baseline control of pain. If you still feel pain, then take your narcotic if you were prescribed them.
Antibiotics
If you were prescribed antibiotics, please take them as directed until completion.
Specific home medications
For your diabetes medications, you may resume them once you start eating and drinking.
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For your blood thinners, you may resume them in 24 hours (or as otherwise indicated).
Results
If a specimen was taken, please allow 2-4 weeks for the results to return.
Follow-up
If you had hand surgery, your follow-up hand therapy will be arranged at your next appointment (unless otherwise indicated).
When do I go to the Emergency Department?
If you experience increasing pain, redness, swelling, fever, or chills, please go to your nearest Emergency Department.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hover your mouse over the boxes to find the answers to your questions.
When do my sutures get removed?
It depends. Generally, sutures are removed in 5-7 days on the face, around 2 weeks on the upper limb, and around 2-3 weeks on the back or lower limb.
Pins were used to fix my fracture. When will they be removed?
After ~3 weeks in children and 4 weeks in adults. Depending on the surgery, however, sometimes these may be left in longer.
When can I start scar care/scar massage?
~3 weeks, if the wound is closed, use any moisturizer & apply a firm pressure along the incision about 10 minutes, 3 times per day. You may also use silicone gel/sheets to help soften the scar at 3 weeks.
When can I expect my bone to heal?
In a healthy, non-smoking individual, bones typically heal by 4 weeks (sooner in children) and regain full strength by 8 weeks (again, sooner in children).
When can I start heavy lifting or exercise?
It depends on what surgery you had done.The general recommendation is to wait around 4-6 weeks before gradually resuming heavier lifting, pushing, or pulling.
Drains were placed during my surgery. When will they be removed?
Depends on the surgery, but typically when the outputs are <30ml over 24 hours for 2 consecutive days.
Patient Information Sheets
Please click on the following to learn more about your condition and treatment recommendations.
