Thank you for such a quick response. The white area is indeed what I am talking about. It is quite possible I misunderstood the surgeon as I was feeling quite panicked while in the chair (normally I'm diligent about asking follow-up questions). He did mention something similar to what you said and explained a little bit about the biology of the skin as it scabs, heals, and changes color throughout the process.

I'm glad you asked about the water intake; this is an area of personal health I've been trying to improve upon. I most definitely need to work on upping my water intake throughout the day!

I was prescribed chlorhexidine, which I am using and I also rinse with warm salt water after meals/throughout the day. I was also on Cefdinir as a precautionary measure against sinus infection (they chose Cefdinir as my body responded well to it while treating a sinus infection in the past).

It might just be my wishful thinking, but it almost appears as if a tad of white patch has slightly decreased in size since this morning!

This is my first time undergoing any surgery. I was quite pleased that my surgeon felt confident that placing the implant at the same time as the lift would lead to success. I believe I had 8.44mm of bone and he desired at least 10mm for implant placement. A family member had to have an implant removed (performed by a different surgeon) and I've, of course, done the worst thing any patient can do: Google their symptoms/questions.