What To Expect Following Your Liposuction Procedure
Immediately following your procedure you can expect some bruising, which will start as very dark bruises and fade over the next few weeks. This is a part of the healing process and very natural. The degree of swelling is most dependent on the area treated. You will need someone to assist you in getting home and to stay with you that first day. As your medication wears off you may feel some discomfort. This can usually be relieved with the pain medicine you have been prescribed. Make sure to keep your compression garment on. You may see some fluid seeping from your incision areas. This is normal. Do not shower this first day. Your care team will let you know when it is appropriate to do so.
You may feel ready to resume normal activities after a few days. Avoid doing anything strenuous or any heavy lifting. Even if you are not feeling ready to get back to your regular routine, you will need to make sure to get up and move every few hours to avoid blood clots.
A few days after your procedure you will meet with the doctor, who will assess your healing, making sure the tissue around the treated areas does not have any hardening and there is no excessive bleeding. At this time, pain should be fairly manageable with ice and anti-inflammatories.
Swelling will usually begin to go down after the first few days to the end of the first week. You will most likely wear your compression garment throughout the first six weeks or as your surgeon directs. For a short while you may retain fluid and have swelling. This may prevent you from seeing the results right away. After the swelling goes down you will begin to see your results. Sometimes it can take up to three months to see your final results. Continue throughout the process to monitor the treated areas for usual lumps or pain.