FAQ’s

Q. Does New Life have financings options?

A. Yes, we offer Care Credit financing.  They have different options available that allow you to have your surgery paid for prior to the surgery and then have payment options after the surgery.

Q. Do you have an age or weight cut off for surgery?

A. Dr. Lee looks at the total patient’s health.  Thus, you can be over age 70 or be obese and Dr. Lee will still evaluate you for surgery.  The most important health concerns for cosmetic surgery are diabetes, uncontrolled hypertension, and smoking.

Q. Where do you perform the surgery?

A. All of our surgeries are done at our office-based surgery center.  Our office has been accredited by the AAAHC.  This is a third-party organization that evaluates surgery centers for patient safety.  There are only a few AAAHC accredited centers in the RGV.

Q. How long do I need to take off of work for surgery?

A. This depends on the surgery.  Most surgeries like tummy tucks or breast augmentations, Dr. Lee will recommend that you take at least 1 week off.  Some patients may need 2 weeks depending on their recovery.  However, the majority of patients go back to work after 1 week.  If a patient has liposuction, they usually only need 3 days off of work.

Q. What type of anesthesia will I have for surgery?

A. Dr. Lee does the majority of his surgeries with conscious sedation anesthesia.  He is very thankful that he was trained in doing surgeries with this type of anesthesia.  It allows for the patients to sleep through the entire procedure but be breathing on their own.  Thus, they do not need to be placed on a ventilator.  It’s similar to the type of anesthesia that is used with colonoscopies or tooth extractions.

An IV is placed prior to the procedure.  Then medication is given in the IV for both pain and sedation.  The recovery process is quicker than general anesthesia (ventilator) and is safer for the patient.  So why don’t more surgeons use this form of anesthesia?  Usually because they were not trained to perform surgery using this type of anesthesia. 

General anesthesia does not increase the risk of the surgery too much.  However if Dr. Lee was going to have cosmetic surgery or do surgery on his wife, he would definitely choose IV conscious sedation over general anesthesia.

Q. How quickly do I go home after the surgery?

A. Most patients go home after being monitored after surgery for about 1 hour. It’s very important for patients to make sure they have a ride home from someone other than Uber or Lyft!

Q. What do you recommend for the quickest and best healing after surgery?

A. We will go over all these items with you throughout your time with us.  However, it’s important to remember to do the following.  No smoking for 1 month after surgery.  No drinking alcohol for 2 weeks after surgery.  Start walking the day after surgery around your home and then around the neighborhood or local park within 3 days after the surgery.  Do not lift more than 20 pounds for 6 weeks if you have an incision over 1 cm.  Eat 100 grams of protein daily for 6 weeks. Keep hydrated with at least 6 glasses of water daily.  Use 1 scoop of over the counter collagen peptides daily.  Keep your incision moisturized with a non-fragrant skin moisturizer like Cerave.

Q. When can I start exercising after surgery?

A. It depends on the surgery.  For a tummy tuck or breast surgery, you need to wait 6 weeks until you resume vigorous exercise.  However, you can start walking immediately after surgery.  If you have had a tummy tuck, you can start doing some upper body workouts after two weeks.  However, no abdominal exercise for 6 weeks.  If you have liposuction you can start exercising usually 7-10 days after your surgery.

Disclaimer: Photos are for educational purposes only. All pictures are actual practice patients. Similar results are not guaranteed and may vary from patient to patient. Photos and Videos are for viewers 18 years and older.

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