Liposuction is a procedure that requires some short-term recovery time. When the procedure is over, the doctor will wrap the affected area with an elastic bandage or compression garment to reduce potential pain, redness, discomfort, swelling, and bruising.
The worst pain and discomfort will last a few days, while the swelling and bruising can last weeks or months. The doctor will likely advise you to keep the wrap over the area for up to one month to allow time for healing. The exact duration for staying wrapped will depend on how many incisions were made to remove fatty tissues.
The days, weeks, and months following a liposuction procedure will require you to take extra special care of yourself. The following are four ways to ensure a safe and efficient recovery after liposuction.
1) Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is how your body recovers at the end of each day. However, it is even more imperative to get enough sleep in the days following your liposuction procedure because you’ll have even more physical recovery to do.
Sleep goes a long way in assisting in post-surgery recovery. If you fail to get enough sleep, it could hinder the recovery process.
2) Listen to Your Body
Don’t expect to do any high-intensity exercises or activities for 2 to 4 weeks. The doctor will probably tell you to wait until you feel comfortable or normal again before resuming your daily activities. If you don’t feel any more pain or discomfort, chances are you have healed enough. But if you start to feel any pain or discomfort again, then only do lighter activities until these feelings disappear.
Your body will tell you everything you need to know about which activities are too strenuous after liposuction. When you start to feel pain and discomfort during an activity, stop what you are doing and consult your doctor.
3) Attend Follow-Up Appointments
The liposuction procedure is not the end of the sessions with your doctor. They will want you to attend numerous follow-up appointments in the weeks and months after the procedure to check your recovery status.
Let your doctor know any unusual symptoms you have developed. They can write you a prescription for medication and advise you on how to treat them.
4) Have Patience During Recovery
Liposuction transforms your body by removing large amounts of fat and rearranging other fat. In the weeks after the procedure, your body will need lots of time to reshape itself back into a normal position, especially if the doctor removed excessive amounts of fat.
The best thing to do is have patience and wait for your body to reshape and recover. The remaining fat in your body needs time to resettle into a new position. Since the full expected results are not apparent immediately, it may feel discouraging when looking at yourself in the mirror during recovery.
Rest assured that waiting for the recovery to complete will be well worth it. Once the swelling, pain, and discomfort disappear, you will look and feel better than you have in a long time.
