Boston, Massachusetts Area Cosmetic Surgery – What to Expect Before and After Treatment

At the International Center for Rhinoplasty in Nashua, Mark B. Constantian, M.D. provides patients from the Boston, Massachusetts area, and from all over the world, with outstanding cosmetic surgery.  Whether a patient is receiving primary rhinoplasty, a facelift, blepharoplasty, a breast augmentation, or another procedure, our team strives to make his or her experience as comfortable and stress-free as possible, before, during, and after surgery.  We have compiled the following information to provide detailed information on what to expect before and after cosmetic surgery.  If you have any further questions, we welcome you to contact our plastic surgeon today.

Care Credit Information

Having plastic surgery is a big decision that deserves thoughtful consideration. Since I have been in practice, I have consistently tried to keep our services as accessible and affordable as possible. I wanted you to know that we offer financing for surgery through Care Credit.

Care Credit Financing is a subdivision of General Electric, and the program has been researched and endorsed by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the largest educational body for organized plastic surgery in this country. Credit can be approved rapidly online or by phone, and the interest rates charged now compare favorably to those charged by most credit card companies.

You can go to the Care Credit website and research the options that are available to patients.

What is the procedure before and after cosmetic surgery?

What to Expect Before Surgery

After the initial consultation, Dr. Constantian always see patients again shortly before surgery, the exact time depending upon how far they have traveled.  At that visit, Dr. Constantian will review photographs taken at the initial consultation with you, answer all of your questions, and give you your prescriptions.

After you are scheduled for a particular date, you will receive a great deal of information from the office, specific postoperative instructions, information about laboratory work, and many question and answer sheets that should cover all of the routine things that can be anticipated around the time of surgery.  Both you and your caregiver should read them carefully; they contain most of what you need to know.

In the case of other questions, someone is always available to help you; either one of the staff, Dr. Constantian, or (when Dr. Constantian is out of town) the surgeon covering his patients.  Although Dr. Constantian is occasionally away for a day or two on weeks that he operates, he never operates and leaves postoperative care to another surgeon.  If Dr. Constantian operates on you, he will remove your bandages and be present himself for periodic check-ups.  Dressing changes, drain removals, and other routine things are often performed by his very experienced staff.

Why Dr. Constantian Operates in a Hospital Setting

Patients occasionally ask why Dr. Constantian does not have an Operating Room in his office.  The answer is that he wants the utmost safety for his patients.  In a hospital setting, Dr. Constantian has the full resources of specialists, staff and technology to care for any unusual circumstance that might arise.

Back to top

What to Expect After Surgery

Depending upon the cosmetic surgery performed, Dr. Constantian will see some patients the day after surgery, some patients two days later, and some patients only at seven days.  There really is no routine; each patient’s post-operative care is customized to his or her particular treatment:

  • If there are ear dressings, they usually come off in two days (except when Dr. Constantian has performed composite grafts, in which case the ear dressing stays on for one week). 
  • Packing and splints almost always stay for seven days. 
  • Rib drains are usually removed on the second or third postoperative day. 
  • Occasionally, Dr. Constantian will place sutures under the nasal dressing, but he will remove them one or two days after surgery.  After the dressings are removed, Dr. Constantian sees patients who come from a distance at least one more time, as well as before they return home at 10 to 14 days after surgery.  If you are flying home, you cannot fly home on the seventh day right after your dressings have been removed.

Long-term checkups depend upon the problem and the complexity of the solution, and any other individual factors.  As a broad generalization, Dr. Constantian sees patients again at four to six weeks, three months, six to nine months, and one year, or until both he and the patient are sure that they have achieved what they wish.

Back to top

Information about Consultations and Staying in Nashua

Following your initial consultation, Dr. Constantian would see you once again before surgery, either the day before or earlier, depending on how far away you live.  For most patients far from the Boston, Massachusetts area, once their cosmetic surgery is scheduled, they will receive a Surgical Itinerary that has the date and time of their office appointments.  Once surgery patients have their itinerary, they are then able to make their travel plans.

As a general rule, how long you need to stay here after surgery depends upon how far away you live and how complex your reconstruction is:

  • Patients who live two hours away by car or less can go home the day of surgery.
  • Patients who live more than two hours away by car may find it better to stay one night at a local hotel or motel, and then drive home the next day.
  • If you have come by plane, you would need to stay in the immediate area for 10 to 12 days after surgery, depending upon the reconstruction:
    • For primary rhinoplasties – 10 days
    • For secondary rhinoplasties requiring septal or ear cartilage – 10 days
    • For patients requiring rib grafts – 12 to 14 days
    • For patients requiring composite grafts (cartilage and skin taken from the ear to correct nostril distortions) – 12 to 14 days
    • Some patients who fly from New York or Philadelphia or from Southern Canada can fly home on the day after the bandages are removed (Day 8), as long as they are willing to fly back the following week to be checked.

Back to top

Caregiver Information

If you are traveling alone, you will need to have postoperative help.  For your safety after anesthesia, Dr. Constantian requires all patients to have a caregiver for 24 hours after your surgery.  This is not negotiable. 

The agency below, Home Instead, can provide you a trained caregiver to help with your transportation to and from the hospital.  They also assist with personal care and meal preparation after your surgery.  The contact information for Home Instead is:

Home Instead – 603-433-5959   

Contact Ed Ganem, Personal Care Assistant ($23.00 per hour)

You will also need to make sure you have made arrangements for transportation to the office for the first three days following surgery for any follow-up office visits.  For your convenience, we have listed several car services and car rental companies on our Where is Nashua? page. 

Learn About Nashua

Back to top

International Patients

For the convenience of patients traveling long distances for treatment, our cosmetic surgery center is located just 50 miles or about one hour from Logan Airport (BOS) in Boston, Massachusetts and one half hour from the Manchester, New Hampshire airport (MHT).  We are experienced in assisting our patients with their travel planning.  We have had the pleasure of welcoming patients from all over the world, including the following locations:

  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • England
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hong Kong
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Mexico
  • Mozambique
  • New Zealand
  • Puerto Rico
  • Russia
  • Switzerland
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Vietnam

Contact Our Cosmetic Surgery Practice

Our cosmetic surgery team welcomes your questions about aesthetic treatment options, post-operative care, and in-depth lodging and transportation information.  Contact our plastic surgeon via e-mail, or phone our office at 603-880-7700.  Our staff will give you information designed to make your visit to Nashua, New Hampshire as simple as possible.

Back to top

Contact our office serving the Boston, Massachusetts area for information on cosmetic surgery and what to expect before and after treatment.






Mark B. Constantian, M.D., F.A.C.S.
19 Tyler Street, Suite 302
Memorial Medical Building
Nashua, New Hampshire 03060, USA
Phone: 603.880.7700