Liposuction Recovery – Things You Should Consider

Have you been struggling with areas of unwanted fat? Perhaps your body stores fat in places that don’t ever seem to shrink down, no matter how much you diet & exercise. Maybe your body is disproportionate and accumulates fat in some areas but not in others. Whatever your reason, liposuction may be the answer for you, so we have outlined a few things you should consider prior to having liposuction surgery. While you’ll need to visit one of Charlotte Plastic Surgery’s board-certified plastic surgeons to learn the specifics about how liposuction could work with your unique body, it is likely a viable option to help address your body fat concerns. What is the downtime for liposuction? If you are interested in liposuction, here are things you should consider regarding both the surgery and the eventual liposuction recovery process.

Questions To Ask During a Liposuction Consultation

Whenever you prepare to go under anesthesia for a medical procedure, it is important to be as informed as possible. During your liposuction consultation, there’s no such thing as a dumb question, so when anything comes to mind make sure to ask your plastic surgeon. If it helps, write some questions down before your appointment and bring them with you. This way, you won’t forget to ask something just to remember it on the drive home.

During the consultation, the doctor and other medical staff will address many of your questions before you even have a chance to ask. They will tell you whether you’re a good candidate for liposuction surgery (make sure to give them your full and honest medical history background), and then walk you through the entire process from preparing to recovering.

After going over the basics, you’ll want to ask your doctor if he or she is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Medical Specialties. It is very important to only have plastic surgeons who are certified by both the ABPS& ABMS perform any kind of liposuction. You’ll also want to ask what is the downtime for liposuction. The recovery time will depend on the amount of fat removed, the targeted area, your age, and a number of other health and lifestyle factors.

If you are considering other medical cosmetic procedures, you should ask about it at this time as well. It may be possible to perform a few different medical cosmetic procedures at the same time if your surgeon determines that it is safe and appropriate to do so. The benefits are that your recovery time will be all at once, you only pay for one round of general anesthesia sedation, plus it can sometimes be cheaper – some plastic surgeons offer discounts when multiple procedures are done at once

Liposuction Recovery and How to Manage Weight After Liposuction

Liposuction recovery will vary, based on a number of factors. Your plastic surgeon can give you a ballpark estimate as to how long it will take and what instructions and limitations you will have during that period. Some people may experience some bruising and swelling, and it may be necessary to go back and visit with your surgeon throughout your recovery period, so make sure to go over this with your doctor. It is extremely important to follow your surgeon’s recovery instructions exactly so that you have an easy recovery process that leads to a great result.

You will also want to plan out a way to manage your health following liposuction. One of the biggest misconceptions of liposuction is that once the fat is removed, it’s gone for good and you can eat and do whatever you want. However, that is not exactly the case. Yes, once those particular fat cells are removed, they are gone forever. However, fat cells expand and contract, and your remaining fat cells can fill in gaps left by liposuction or start to store your fat in other places on your body. So if you don’t maintain healthy eating habits and exercise regularly, other fat cells will begin to expand and grow. In other words, the fat you lost can simply be gained and distributed to other areas of your body if you’re careless with your health. Your doctor can help you with this and help point you in the right direction.

What to Expect at Home after Liposuction Surgery

Liposuction is typically an outpatient procedure and you can return home the same day. Following the surgery, you may be placed in a compression garment and given post-operative instructions and restrictions to abide by. Your doctor will let you know when you can return to work (especially depending on the type of work you do), but you should be able to return to a desk job (or similar) after a few days. You may be able to take on your normal daily activities, including working out, somewhere between two and six weeks down the road, although your doctor will give you more specific timeframes based on your health, age, and the extent of the procedure.

In addition to following your doctor’s instructions for the recovery process, you will also need to remain hydrated. There is a good chance you will suffer some swelling, tenderness, and bruising, but these sensations will go away after a few days. These things will influence what is your downtime for liposuction.

Is Liposuction Safe and Effective?

Liposuction is a safe and effective means of removing fat cells from your body. You likely will not have any noticeable scars following the procedure – the instrument used remove fat (called a “cannula”) is so small, the incisions are also very small and fade over time.

However, it is very important to go over all medical history with your board-certified plastic surgeon. If you have a history of heart disease or blood clot disorders, you may not qualify for liposuction. There are other surgical and non-surgical options you may qualify for though instead of liposuction, so don’t worry if you’re not a candidate for liposuction. There are other options available to you.

There are some potential side effects, although most of the side effects are short term and related to bruising and other temporary irritation around where the fat was removed. In some instances, liquid can pool in the area, which does need to be drained. This will effect what is the downtime for liposuction. If a large amount of fat cells are removed you may notice your skin is not as tight in certain areas. This can be addressed at a later date with skin tightening procedures or topical creams. But overall, it can take several months for your body to fully realize the final results of the liposuction surgery so being patient for your full result to appear is vital.

As mentioned earlier, it is important for you to realize that this is not a weight loss procedure. Liposuction is not meant to help you lose weight, but instead is more of a contouring tool to help shape areas that are resistant to diet & exercise. But by eating healthy foods and having some kind of daily exercise, you can help facilitate a more contoured physique and maintain your results for longer. In some instances, your doctor may also refer you to a nutritionist who can dive in deeper with your nutritional food needs while helping you identify a nutritious diet.

Begin Your Fat Loss Journey Today

Your fat loss journey doesn’t begin with the liposuction procedure, but instead with your consultation. When you schedule a consultation with Charlotte Plastic Surgery a plastic surgeon will go over your desired results and help determine whether lipo is the right treatment for you, or if you’re a better candidate for another of the medical cosmetic fat removal procedures. Whatever ends up being the right journey for you, now is the perfect time to reach out and contact the team at Charlotte Plastic Surgery. We hopes this helps answer your questions concerning what is the downtime for liposuction.