Liposuction, also known as suction-assisted lipectomy or lipoplasty, is a cosmetic procedure to remove excess fat from the body through suction action. Because liposuction does not involve extensive incisions, some people may minimize the fact that liposuction is indeed real surgery. But like any other procedure, liposuction has a recovery period.
During this recovery period, it will be important to know how to care for your incisions, how to care for your body parts that were liposuctioned, which activities (sex, exercise, showering, etc.) you can do and when you can resume them, and how to handle your pain after liposuction. Optimizing your healing during recovery will help you get the best possible result.
Here is some helpful information:
- How to Care for Your Liposuctioned Areas and Incisions In this section, you will learn about compression garments, how to take care of your dressings, when you can shower, how to look for an infection, and what to expect in terms of drainage and swelling after liposuction.
- How to Manage Your Pain After Liposuction This section gives advice on how to minimize pain after liposuction.
- When to Resume Activities After Liposuction Read here to learn when you can go back to work, resume exercise, household chores, sex and other various activities.
- Recovery After Plastic Surgery - All Procedures Learn about recovery after breast augmentation, breast reduction, eyelid surgery, tummy tuck, and facelift.
Sources:
American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Liposuction Recovery. Accessed May 22, 2011.
Gingrass MK. Liposuction. In Thorne CHM, Beasely RW, Aston SJ, Bartlett SP, Gurtner GC, Spear S, eds. Grabb and Smith’s Plastic Surgery, 6th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 2007.
Hunstad JP. Liposuction of the Hips and Thighs. In Evans GRD, ed. Operative Plastic Surgery. New York: McGraw Hill, 2000.
