Anxious about when you’ll be able to see your liposuction results?
As soon as you decide to undergo liposuction, and you book that surgery appointment with your plastic surgeon, you’re bound to be excited. This procedure can remove stubborn, unwanted fat that you’ve wanted to get rid of for decades! It can sculpt your body in ways that even the most healthy lifestyle, strict diet, and intense exercise plan cannot. It’s an amazing boost of self-esteem for so many.
However… You still need to get through the surgery, get through recovery, and make it to your results.
Up ahead, we’ll go over what you can expect from your liposuction results week by week. We’ll talk about the most common symptoms of recovery and give you a basic timeline that you can refer to as you heal.
Liposuction Results Week by Week
So, what do stomach liposuction surgery results week by week look like? And what about traditional liposuction procedures results for the arms, inner thighs, male chest, etc.?
First, it’s important to note that every patient is different. Liposuction can look a lot of different ways, depending on what the patient wants to improve about themselves, their unique anatomy, and the surgical techniques that are used (ultrasound assisted liposuction, suction assisted liposuction, power assisted liposuction, laser assisted liposuction, etc).
Some patients may want liposuction from head to toe, and they may be interested in having the maximum amount of fat removed from their body. Other patients may simply want a few areas of their body reduced, and they may only have a small amount of abdominal liposuction and flanks, for example. With both of these patients, the liposuction recovery is going to look very different.
Essentially, the more areas you have worked on and the more body fat removal you undergo, the longer your recovery will be.
With that said, we can still look at a liposuction recovery timeline for the “average” patient.
Immediately After Liposuction
Right after liposuction surgery, it’s all about following your surgeon’s instructions. They will outline how to care for your incision sites, how to take a shower properly, how to wear your compression garment, how to sleep, and what activities you’ll need to refrain from doing.
For the most part, you should not be exercising for the next month, but you can take short walks around the house or your yard to improve circulation and stay mobile.
Common symptoms at this time include soreness, pain, tightness, swelling, bruising, and possibly some light bleeding and drainage. Pain medication can be prescribed to ease any discomfort.
Although you may notice some results when you look in the mirror, remember that the swelling will camouflage what your surgeon has really achieved with this procedure.
Week 1
After the first week of recovery, many patients feel confident about going back to work or school. You’ll be wearing your compression garments during this time, and some patients may need to continue with over-the-counter pain medications.
Swelling will continue, but you should notice bruising start to diminish.
Weeks 2-4
As you heal, continue to eat a healthy diet and drink plenty of water. Plastic surgery procedures can take their toll on the body, so staying strong by eating plenty of protein, veggies, and fruits and avoiding alcohol and smoking is wise.
Toward the end of this period, patients may be able to stop wearing their compression garments and think about resuming light physical activity. Your results will be easier to see now, though remember that swelling will still be present, so don’t expect to see your full results quite yet.
Weeks 5-8
During this time, you can begin to enjoy your full results! The only symptom that will likely remain should be swelling. Other than this, some patients have a certain level of temporary numbness or tightness, which may stick around for a while.
In terms of swelling lipo results week by week will vary at this point. Essentially, you should expect it to last for several months. In fact, for certain patients, it may take up to a year to reduce swelling to the point that all swelling and fluid retention completely go away.
Liposuction vs Tummy Tuck Results
When someone looks in the mirror and decides they are unhappy with the way their midsection looks, they may not know whether they would benefit from a tummy tuck or liposuction. For this reason, it is important to schedule a consultation appointment with Dr. Mohan.
Dr. Mohan will be able to physically examine you and tell you right away which surgery would be best for you. Basically, if you have excess loose skin on your abdomen, a tummy tuck surgery would be necessary for improving this issue. If, however, you don’t have poor skin elasticity and just a bit of unwanted fat on your belly, liposuction would suffice. In some cases, patients will require a combination of tuck surgery and liposuction.
Scarring After Liposuction vs Tummy Tuck Surgery
Results from liposuction and results from tummy surgery take a long time to appear because you’ll have a lot of swelling after surgery. It may be six months to a year before you see the final results of either of these surgeries (due to residual swelling).
One key difference in the results of these two surgeries will be scarring. Tuck surgery will leave more significant scarring, including one that runs laterally below the underwear line, roughly from hip to hip.
Liposuction, on the other hand, does not typically leave noticeable scars, except in the case of arm liposuction scars. The incisions only need to be big enough to fit a cannula, and they typically heal so that they are almost invisible.
FAQ: Results of Liposuction
How many pounds will I lose after liposuction?
Liposuction isn’t about how much fat you can get rid of or how many pounds you can lose. It’s not a weight loss procedure.
Instead, a liposuction procedure is a body contouring procedure. It removes small pockets of excess fat cells that are resistant to diet and exercise. This reshapes and recontours your body for a more attractive figure that makes you look and feel your best.
How realistic are the results of liposuction?
Provided you choose a board certified surgeon with liposuction experience, you should have totally natural looking results from this cosmetic surgery procedure. The best surgeons know exactly where to remove fat and how much to remove so that you get stunning results you’ll feel happy about.
Book a Consultation Today
Deciding to get plastic surgery to improve your physique is a big decision. Whether you absolutely know you’re ready to move forward with liposuction or you’ve been considering it but aren’t sure, booking a consultation appointment is your next step.
Call today to set up your personal consultation appointment with board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Raja Mohan. We look forward to meeting you!
References
https://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/liposuction/results