I am often asked by patients when is the best time of the year to have surgery. My answer is very simple…the best time is when ever it is most convenient for you! This way the patient can recover with the least amount of stress.
Most people believe that the best time is winter or fall. The potential advantages of having surgery during these cooler months are two; one the cooler weather is better for swelling and two the decreased sunlight is advantageous for scarring and swelling. While these two potential advantages sound great, the reality is that even in the hottest climates, such as Miami, people can rarely choose to avoid the heat and sunlight for a couple of weeks. Realistically, we can easily choose to recover indoors for two weeks. Going out in the evening or early morning for a breath of fresh air is easily done. In fact, most people do not go out in the sun, unless they are doing outdoor activities such as sports.
In today’s busy world, it’s difficult enough for people to put aside 2 weeks to recover from surgery. It’s even harder to aside two weeks in a specific month or season. For this reason, I think that people should plan to have surgery whenever it’s easiest for them to take two weeks off. This way they can recover with less worry and stress. I rather someone recover stress-free in a hot month than worried that they have to be back at work or in time for an event in a cold month.