Liposuction

• General Information
• Consultation
• Typical Patients
• Procedure Details
• Recovery
• Results
• Potential Risks

Scarring may occur after liposuction surgery. These scars are usually small and are located where the physician makes the incision to remove the excess fat tissue. When the anesthesia wears off, some pain is expected around the treated area. If the pain is extreme or continues for a long period of time after the surgery, the patient should contact Dr. Wooten. If the patient has pain combined with abnormal swelling, this can be a sign of infection and, again, the patient should contact Dr. Wooten. In general, one should walk around as soon as possible to reduce swelling. Depending on the extent of the liposuction, patients are generally able to return to work or school between two days and two weeks. If non-absorbable sutures are placed, they will be removed after five to ten days. Swelling from liposuction will subside in anywhere from two weeks to two months. Bruising will fade in as soon as a few days or as long as two weeks later. Numbness may last for several weeks. These things are all normal. The final result will be evident anywhere from one to six months after surgery, although the patient will see a noticeable difference within days or weeks, as swelling subsides.

Some ways to speed up recovery are to drink enough water to prevent dehydration, avoid using heating pads on the treated areas, postpone soaking the wounds until they are sealed usually 48 hours for sutured wounds and a little longer for unsutured wounds, and, if any dizziness is experienced, the patient should take it easy: stand up slowly, get help for showering, and removing the compression garment slowly.

The incision where the surgeon inserted the cannula may be leaky or may need to be drained fluids for several days. The patient will need to wear special compression garments around the treated area to keep the skin tight after the liposuction procedure. Dr. Wooten will tell you how long to wear these, but in general it is expected to wear these for 4-8 weeks. Dr. Wooten will also include information about wearing compression garments, whether or not one should be taking any antibiotic medicines, and the level of activity that is safe after the liposuction procedure. Also, information will be provided about potential problems of which one should be aware. An example of this would be the signs of infections.

After a few weeks, the stitches will dissolve or be removed and the swelling should begin to go down. Most of the swelling will disappear after three weeks or so, although some may remain for several months. In most cases, the patient would avoid strenuous activity for a month or two.