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How much will it hurt? All patients experience some pain after surgery. Most often this can be controlled with prescription pain pills. Frequently, patients take only plain acetaminophen (i.e. Tylenol) for pain. Generally, patients begin switching to acetaminophen three to five days after their liposuction. Do I have to stay in bed after my surgery? No. Gently get out of bed as soon as possible after your surgery. An adult must help you get out of bed the first few times because of possible fainting. Begin to walk as much as possible as soon as you can after surgery. Always get out of bed to go to the bathroom. Do take it easy the first few days. Do not exert yourself in any strenuous activity. A balance of rest and reduced activity will speed up your recovery. A balance of rest and reduced activity will speed up your recovery. Will there be any bleeding or drainage after liposuction? I use stitches and clear plastic dressings to seal the incisions so that there is no drainage after surgery. I do not believe that allowing this bloody fluid to drain into dressings or pads decreases swelling or bruising. I prefer to seal the incisions because care of this bloody fluid is very stressful for most patients. Will there be any bandages or dressings? Foam padding is placed on all the areas treated with liposuction. This is then covered with an elastic garment. The combination reduces swelling and bruising dramatically. You will remove the foam padding two days after liposuction. The elastic garment is then put back on after you have had a shower. You will wear some form of elastic garment covering all the treated areas for two weeks. When can I shower after liposuction? Once the adherent foam padding has been removed in two days, you may shower. You may use the antibacterial soap that you used before your surgery. After your shower, replace the elastic garment. Do not take a bath or swim for one week. When do I come back to the office for aftercare? I want to see you within the first week after liposuction. After your first visit, I want to see you at six weeks, six months, and one year. The reason for this extended care is because it takes six months to one year for complete healing to occur. There are no charges for these office visits. You are welcome to be seen in my office anytime you have questions or concerns about your surgery. Will there be any stitches to take out? No. I only use stitches that will be absorbed or wash out. I do this to eliminate the discomfort of suture removal after surgery. Body massage is very effective in relaxation. However, it cannot be done while there is bruising of the skin due to the risk of long term or permanent brown-gray staining of the skin. All therapeutic massage treatments must be discontinued until any bruising has completely resolved. How long you are off work depends on what you do. If you do clerical work (i.e. stockbroker, teacher, or programmer), you can return to work when you feel up to it. This usually takes about a week. If you do manual labor (i.e. entertainer, truck driver, or trainer), you must be off work for two weeks. Regardless of your employment, do not lift anything weighing more than five pounds for three weeks. When can I work out after surgery? Generally, you can go back to working out two to three weeks after liposuction surgery. This depends on how you feel. Do not lift anything that weighs more than five pounds and avoid contact sports for six weeks. Workouts must stop if you experience any discomfort in any of the treated areas. A balance of rest and reduced activity will speed up your recovery. When can I suntan after surgery? Sun tanning damages your skin. It leads to wrinkling, discoloration, and superficial growths. It can also lead to serious skin cancer. For these reasons, I recommend that you use sun block with an SPF number of 15 or greater at all times. A physical broad-spectrum sun block works best. If you are exposed to the sun, I recommend that you protect treated areas for six weeks with clothing such as a hat, T-shirt, pants, or pareo. You must be careful to protect any scars from sun exposure with clothing, tape, or sun block for six months. Better yet, stay in the shade where it's cooler! How long will the results last? The results are usually very long lasting (i.e. five to ten years). Weight gain, aging, pregnancy, and sun damage will reduce the longevity of the results. To maintain the best result, it is important that you actually weigh less after surgery. The amount of weight reduction is approximately one pound for every quart of aspirate (total fat and fluid) removed at the time of surgery.
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