What Not to Do After Liposuction Surgery
Liposuction, also known as liposculpting, is a plastic surgery procedure that removes excess fat tissue from specific areas of the body using small, stainless steel tubes called cannulas.
Many patients seek a liposuction procedure to treat stubborn, localized pockets of fat that are otherwise resistant to changes in diet in exercise.
Compared to other plastic surgery procedures, liposuction tends to have a relatively quick recovery time, but there are a number of specific steps patients should take to ensure optimal recovery and results.
Keep a healthy, balanced diet
Liposuction reduces the number of fat cells in a specific, localized area, but it is not a weight loss surgery.
The number of fat cells in the human body remains fixed from adolescence onward. The removal of fat cells through liposuction permanently reduces the number of fat cells in that particular area. However, it is still possible for the remaining fat cells to swell with weight gain.
If a patient experiences significant weight gain after liposuction surgery, it is also possible that non-treated areas may experience a greater gain in size, even as treated areas stay slimmer.
Because of this, it is important to eat a healthy, balanced diet after liposuction surgery. A carefully planned diet can be key to maintaining the long-term results of your procedure.
Stay active
Patients who want to maintain the benefits achieved through liposuction surgery need to be committed to a healthy and active lifestyle.
You should always consult with your plastic surgeon before resuming strenuous exercise. You will need to allow sufficient time for your incisions to recover, but you should try to avoid staying stationary any longer than is necessary.
Keeping active and engaging in regular exercise is an important part of maintaining your overall health and can help you preserve the long-term results of your liposuction procedure.
But avoid vigorous exercise or heavy lifting during recovery
Most patients are encouraged to engage in non-strenuous activities such as walking as soon as they are cleared by their plastic surgeon, but vigorous exercise and heavy lifting are not recommended during the recovery period.
The body still needs time to heal after surgery. Strenuous movements that place strain on incision sites do not support healing. Instead, vigorous exercise and heavy lifting can prolong post-surgical swelling, lead to increased scar tissue, and even create opportunities for infection.
Consider engaging in less strenuous activities like taking a walk while you wait for your body to complete the recovery process.
Go to your follow-up appointment
Follow-up care is an essential part of a successful recovery.
After liposuction surgery, patients should plan to attend all follow-up appointments recommended by their plastic surgeon. Aftercare visits are routine and help the plastic surgeon monitor the patient’s healing and surgical results.
It is also important to carefully follow any post-surgical instructions given by your surgeon as you recover. Adhering to your surgeon’s guidance will help to speed your recovery time and minimize any possible scarring from the procedure.
Use your compression garment
Compression garments are worn after surgery to accelerate the healing process and preserve desired results.
Surgeons recommend wearing compression garments because they help:
- Reduce swelling
- Further minimize scarring
- Improve surgical results
Although compression garments are designed to be tight and may at first feel uncomfortable, they should not be painful and should be worn consistently during your recovery.
Here are a few of the benefits of using the compression garments your surgeon will provide.
Reduce swelling
As part of the natural healing process, the body produces fluids that can result in swelling. Compression garments help reduce the total amount of swelling, assist the body in reabsorbing some of the fluids it creates, and ensure a more even distribution of fluids so that they do not build up in one location.
Further minimize scarring
The scars created during liposuction surgery are already quite small and discreetly located.
When combined with the help of medical-grade creams and tape, wearing a compression garment can help to reduce the visibility of these scars even further. Compression garments help flatten and smooth out incision marks, even for patients with a genetic tendency toward scarring.
Improve surgical results
Compression garments help the skin stay smoother around new contours. For some patients, they may even have the added benefit of improving posture and supporting healthy movement.
Avoid dehydration
While it can cause some short-term discomfort, swelling is a natural part of the body’s healing process. Swelling is the body’s way of transporting much-needed nutrients through the bloodstream to sites of healing. Swelling also allows the body to carry away cell waste.
To support the body in having the fluids it needs to heal, patients should commit to staying hydrated throughout the recovery process.
Drinking sufficient amounts of water also promotes skin elasticity. Patients who stay hydrated throughout their recovery from liposuction will help their bodies heal from the procedure more quickly.
