How soon you can see results after liposuction
Undergoing plastic surgery to refine the aspect of the body is a common practice nowadays. People resort to plastic surgery to enhance areas of the body, to get a more harmonious body shape or to better define certain features. Liposuction is one of the procedures performed for aesthetic purposes. Actually, liposuction is among the most sought after procedures in the last decades, together with the breast enhancement procedure. And for good reason.
Liposuction is the only efficient method that can be used to address localized fat deposits. This means that if you are dealing with bulges of fat around the midline, on the tummy, buttocks, hips, knees, calves and even on the level of the face and neck, you can resort to liposuction to contour the area.
Who can undergo liposuction?
Plastic surgery is not for everyone. Even if we are talking about elective surgery, there is a profile of the ideal candidate. You should be as close as possible to this profile to be able to undergo the procedure.
Liposuction is a rather simple intervention when performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon. However, just like is the case with any other surgical intervention, liposuction entails potential risks and complications. To minimize the risks and make the most out of your aesthetic surgery, make sure you are a good candidate for the procedure.
To be eligible to undergo liposuction, you should be in good health. The emotional condition of the patient is also taken into consideration, as well as preexisting health issues. The plastic surgeon will mention the need to quit smoking at least a few weeks prior to your surgery date if you are a smoker. At the same time, it is crucial to avoid taking medication that was not discussed with the plastic surgeon for two weeks before the procedure.
Good candidates for the procedure also understand that liposuction is an intervention that aims to better contour the body, not a weight loss procedure.
How is liposuction performed?
There are several different liposuction techniques that can be used during your lipo session. The plastic surgeon decides what type of procedure is suitable for your particular case depending on your characteristics and goals. Tumescent liposuction is often preferred as it is associated with a low level of pain and discomfort after the intervention.
The first step of the procedure is the anesthesia. After anesthesia is administered, the plastic surgeon starts making small incisions in areas to be treated. The incisions are so small and hidden in the natural folds of the skin that they will be barely, if ever, visible after the cicatrization process is complete.
The surgeon dislodges fat from the area or areas targeted with the procedure, and the fat is suctioned into a vacuum medical device. After the fat is removed, the incisions are sutured and the procedure is completed.
Patients are moved to recovery room where they need to spend some time before they are released from the medical facility where the procedure was performed.
What happens after a liposuction procedure?
There is no need for the patient to spend more than a few hours in the clinic after liposuction was performed. But this doesn’t mean that we can jump right back to our regular activities the moment we are discharged from the clinic.
What happens after a lipo session depends on the profile of the patient, but also the type of procedure performed and how much fat was removed. As a rule of thumb, the procedure is more complex when a significant amount of fat is removed. These patients might have a longer recovery period compared to patients who had little fat removed.
However, in all cases, patients are confronted with certain side effects after undergoing a liposuction procedure. It is normal to experience a certain level of discomfort at the level of the areas treated with the procedure for some time after the intervention. At the same time, bruising and swelling are likely to occur in the next few days following the procedure.
This means that most patients deal with swelling and bruising at the surgical site for a few days or even weeks, depending on the complexity of the procedure performed.
How soon you can see results after liposuction?
The side effects we just mentioned- swelling and bruising – are the factors that affect the time you can see results after your lipo session. In other words, the results of the procedure are visible only after the swelling and bruising have subsided.
To reduce the swelling and speed up the recovery, patients are advised to wear compression garments on the areas treated, to avoid smoking, drinking and certain medication, as well as intense physical exercises. Compression garments should be worn for at least a few weeks post-op, or according to your plastic surgeon’s advice. This is crucial if you want to achieve the best results possible. Compression garments can help the skin retract on the new contours of the body faster and better. Compression can also help you avoid lumps and bumps from occurring at the level of the area treated.
In most cases, the final results of a complex liposuction intervention are visible after 6 to 8 months after the intervention. Keep in mind that it can take up to 12 months for the incisions to fully heal and become less visible.
Final words
Liposuction is an efficient body sculpting intervention used to remodel the body in case of unwanted fat deposits. The procedure only addressed localized fat deposits in specific areas of the body. After the procedure is performed, the patient is released from the clinic within hours; however, there are certain side effects that prevent you from seeing the results of the procedure in the early days and weeks.
The recovery period after liposuction can take from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the complexity of the procedure. The first results are visible as soon as swelling and bruising subsided. The final results of the procedure can take about six months to become fully visible.