What is the point of a “post-surgical support” garment? Do I really need one? A surgical procedure usually involves an incision through the skin, fat and sometimes the under lying muscle layers. This will lead to bruising, pain, discomfort, swelling, possible seroma formation and a disruption to your ability to move around freely and without discomfort for at least a few days to a week after the operation. Your breathing might be more shallow, with minimal deep breaths, particularly if you have had abdominal surgery and this can also led to delayed healing and guarding of the area effected. The few days after an operation and before the wound is fully healed are a critical time for you and your body. This is the ideal time to make sure you have everything in place and ready to help you to recover, quickly and without complications, so prepare ahead of time.
A post-surgical compression garment will help you recover, as long as it is appropriate for your operation and it is the right size. After your operation, the area affected will swell with fluid and bruising – this is normal, so Design Veronique take this into account with their sizing and with the first-stage garments. DO NOT measure yourself pre-operatively and think that after the surgery, “I will be smaller or larger”. Use your pre-operative measurements as a guide to selection of the right size garment. To help you wear these garments, the first-stage garments come with zips or hook and eye closure that are designed to be easy to wear and “do up”. After the initial post-operative swelling has reduced, you might want to consider changing to a “second stage” recovery garment. These are made with compression in the right places and without zippers and elaborate closure, as by this time, you can pull on your garments in the manor you usually dress.
If you have any questions or concerns, please ask your doctor or nursing staff, or contact our sales advisors – we are here to help.