How much pain will I feel after surgery?  When will my bruises go away?  And how much work will I miss?

The table below answers these and other questions for six common cosmetic procedures. Much depends, of course, on your physical condition before surgery and other individual circumstances. So, your experience may differ slightly from the average ranges given.

Use this table as a general guide when discussing these questions with your doctor.

Type of procedure	Expected level/ duration of discomfort	Typical pain remedy	Expected duration of bruising	Expected time out of work
Breast Augmentation (Augmentation Mammoplasty)	Mild/ 3-4 weeks	Prescription medicine	2 weeks	2-4 days
Breast Reduction (Reduction Mammoplasty)	Mild to Moderate/ 3-4 weeks	Prescription medicine	2-3 weeks	2 weeks
Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty)	Mild/ 2-3 days	OTC (over-the-counter) medicine	7-14 days	3-5 days
Facelift (Rhytidectomy)	Mild to moderate/ 3 weeks	Prescription medicine	3 weeks	2 weeks (resume strenuous activity in 3-4 weeks)
Liposuction (Lipoplasty)	Mild to moderate/ 5-7 days	OTC medicine	3 weeks	3-5 days (resume strenuous activity in one month)
"Tummy Tuck" (Abdominoplasty)	Mild to moderate/ 5-7 days	Prescription medicine	Bruising is minimal and lasts 2 - 3 weeks	2-4 weeks