Brachioplasty in Brussels with Dr Ballieux

Dr Ballieux performs brachioplasty in Brussels as an outpatient procedure and under general anesthesia. After the procedure, the patient must wear a compression garment day and night during 4 to 6 weeks. Recovery after any surgical procedure generally follows this timeline :

• During the 3 first postoperative days, it is common for patients to experience minor swelling. In order to reduce this discomfort, Dr Ballieux prescribes oral analgesics.
• A postoperative visit takes place 3 to 6 days after the procedure.
• The return to work generally takes place two to three weeks after the procedure. Within this time frame, most patients are able to resume their everyday activities. However, we do not recommend driving for 24 to 48 hours after surgery. 
• Physical activity: We also recommend you to avoid any major physical activity during 1 to 2 months.

Any surgical procedure, even a minor one, carries risks. Indeed, any surgical act remains subject to hazards of the living tissues of the organism, whose reactions are totally unpredictable.

Therefore, a surgical procedure can cause bruises, swellings, bleedings or even infections.

A distinction must be made between complications related to the anesthesia and those related to the surgical procedure performed. Although rare, the latter will be exposed during preoperative consultations. Among the risks are a temporary alteration of skin sensibility, an infection if you don’t do your care with a nurse as well as a risk of bleeding if you carry weight. Risks and complications differ depending on the surgical correction performed.

Some over-the-counter and prescription medications can cause pre- and post-operative complications. Therefore, we recommend you to stop taking medications containing aspirin or any related or similar molecule two weeks before the surgery. This recommendation also applies to anti-inflammatory drugs and anticoagulants. Indeed, those can be responsible for increased bleeding during and after surgery.
In addition, we do not recommend taking vitamin E medications or protein powders two weeks before your procedure. During a surgical procedure under general anesthesia, we also recommend you to avoid herbal medicines such as echinacea, ephedra, garlic, ginseng, ginkgo, kava, St. John’s wort or valerian. Indeed, these components may alter the effectiveness of anesthetics, prolong bleeding and interfere with proper healing after surgery. If in doubt, consult Dr Ballieux to know if you should stop taking your medication.

Scientific data are now unanimous about adverse effects of tobacco in the context of a surgical procedure. These multiple effects mainly consist of significant scarring complications or failure of the procedure. In order to limit any post-operative complications, Dr Ballieux recommends ceasing smoking 6 to 8 weeks before your brachioplasty in Brussels.

The costs indicated include all costs related to the operation: surgeon’s fees, operating assistance, hospitalization costs, equipment used and pre- and post-operative follow-up. However, these costs are not contractual and cannot be precisely defined due to the difficulty of the operation and the particularities of each patient.