Liposuction: Procedure Involve Up to Recovery

A doctor’s office, surgery facility, or hospital may all do liposuction as an outpatient operation. It’s essential to choose a surgeon who is certified and known for their professional standards, safety, and good results. Your surgeon will advise you to get up and move about as soon as you can boost circulation, which speeds healing and lowers the chance of deadly blood clots.

Preparation

In some cases, doctors may require pre-liposuction medical tests to ensure that patients are fit for surgery and can recover without complications. They could also suggest changing their diet. They may ask patients to stop taking certain medications, especially aspirin and other drugs interfering with blood clotting. They might also ask them to avoid drinking alcohol, affecting heart rate and lungs.

Liposuction is a technique that shapes the body by eliminating extra fat from the belly, neck, chin, back, hips, buttocks, knees, and upper arms that don’t respond to diets and exercise. This method can also remove benign fatty tumors known as lipomas. Different liposuction Chevy Chase MD procedures exist, but they all entail creating an incision and inserting a cannula, a skinny tube that connects to a vacuum and removes fat. The incision is then stitched up.

Anesthesia

Liposuction requires some level of anesthesia, although in many cases, it can be performed using only a local anesthetic or epidural. The extra fat will be loosened and suctioned out after the surgeon makes a tiny incision in the region. The incision is sutured, and the area is bandaged. Sometimes, your doctor may leave drains in place to promote fluid drainage and reduce swelling. You’ll be given pain medication, and wearing compression clothes will speed up healing. Liposuction is used to reshape specific body areas, such as the hips or outer thighs in women and the abdomen and waist for men. It is not meant to replace good food and exercise or be used as a weight loss method. Talk to your surgeon about whether liposuction is the right choice for you. If so, you will need to discuss the type of anesthesia and sedation that will be appropriate.

Surgery

Liposuction is a surgical procedure; healing will take some time, like any surgery. Most pain should dissipate within a week, and swelling will decrease to a minimal amount by around that time. Your doctor may leave temporary drains in the incision sites to promote fluid drainage; these will be removed at a follow-up appointment. You will need to avoid passive activity as much as possible following liposuction to help blood circulation and aid in the healing process. The development of fat emboli, which may be catastrophic if they develop in the lungs, will also be aided by this. If you experience swelling, pain, fever, or redness at the incision site, these could be signs of infection or a blood clot, and you should see your surgeon immediately.

Recovery

After your liposuction procedure, your doctor will provide you with detailed recovery instructions. It will include information on eating, sleeping, taking medications, and preventing complications. Follow these instructions to get the most benefit from your surgery. You may experience soreness after the surgery, but your surgeon will recommend medication to help manage this. You can use over-the-counter painkillers like acetaminophen for further relief from the ache. Your surgeon will advise you to get up and move around as soon as possible following surgery to aid blood flow and lower the possibility of getting clots. You will probably be wearing elastic bandages in the surgical area, and following your doctor’s orders for removing and changing these is essential. Liposuction permanently removes fat cells. Avoiding sun, heat, and exposure is also a good idea, as these can cause fluid retention and prolong recovery.