Liposuction gives patients a new lease of life and a boost in self-confidence. This surgery eliminates pockets of fat in difficult areas, helping the patient reach their desired weight and figure. This is a common procedure and there are tried and trusted methods to complete the healing process with no complications.
When you’re ready to undergo liposuction, it’s important that you know the best tips to promote quick healing and easy recovery. Though it may be tempting to show your new figure off straight away after surgery, you must follow these tips and tricks for a positive experience.
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Clean Your Incision Sites Often
Avoid Intense or Strenuous Exercise
Stay Hydrated
Becoming dehydrated is a common risk after any surgery. During a surgical procedure, your body loses a lot of water so you need to keep drinking water to keep hydrated and healing. Doctors recommend that you should drink 8-12 glasses of water or low-calorie beverages today. These include water, diluted fruit juice, or herbal teas.
Eat Well and Often
Keeping up a nutritious diet is more important than ever after a liposuction surgery! A diet full of vitamins will help your healing process speed up, whereas an unhealthy diet will prolong the process. Try to consume antioxidants, protein, veggies, and vitamin-rich fruits as these are foods that promote natural healing.
It’s important that you also limit your salt intake post-surgery as salt causes your body to retain water and this can make you appear bloated.
Don’t Soak in the Bath
Though it may seem like a good idea to have a warm bath, this can actually prolong the healing process. Soaking in water can increase the risk of an infection, so it’s important that you avoid bathing, hot tubs, and general water until you are well healed. Instead of soaking in the bath, try a gentle massage if you are trying to relieve tension.
Clean Your Incision Sites Often
To avoid promoting infection, make sure you’re cleaning your incisions. Unfortunately, infection is a common risk after this surgical procedure, so you need to be changing bandages and dressing often. Make sure you’re keeping the incisions clean and dry too.
Wear Baggy or Loose Clothing
It can be tempting to start wearing tight clothes soon after liposuction surgery, however, when you are healing loose-fitting clothes are recommended. Tighter clothes can interrupt the healing process and are also uncomfortable to wear. Your doctor should provide you with a compression garment after surgery, make sure you ask questions about how to wear these if you’re unsure.
Avoid Intense or Strenuous Exercise
When you’ve completed the surgery and you’re in the healing process you must refrain from any intense workouts or exercise routines. Liposuction is an invasive procedure that needs rest and time to heal. It’s usually recommended that you take two weeks off of exercise and daily activities. Though it may be tempting, stay slow and don’t resume normal life until you’re ready!
Take Frequent Walks
Though doctors state that patients should avoid intense movement, it’s important to keep circulation going post-surgery. Keeping your circulation flowing will help reduce swelling and it will aid the healing process too. Slow walks are a great way to keep moving. It’s recommended that you move around your house once an hour in a slow fashion.
Just like moving too much can inhibit healing, staying too sedentary will also slow healing down. Being sedentary can also increase your chance of getting blog clots which are fatal when not caught.
Don’t Push Yourself
Liposuction doesn’t involve extensive incisions, but the surgery is still very invasive. This means that you need to take some serious time off to heal. The typical guidelines for healing time after liposuction surgery are one to two weeks. It’s recommended you book time off of work or college and stop your standard routine.
The first 24 to 48 hours post-surgery will be difficult and you will feel very sore. Because of this, you will need to arrange to have someone around the house to help you with standard tasks like cleaning, cooking, and childcare too.
Avoid Tobacco and Smoking
While it’s common knowledge that smoking tobacco products are generally harmful anyway, you should try to avoid this habit whilst healing. Nicotine limits your blood flow and in turn, this can lengthen your healing and increase your risk of infection.
Try Lymphatic Massage
Lymphatic drainage massages help to release any accumulated toxins in your lymph nodes. This process has been proven to increase your healing speed and it also minimized pain and discomfort too. These massages should be performed weekly and they are great for lowering infection risks and boosting your immunity.
Follow your Doctor’s Orders
While you can get some great post-surgery tips and tricks online, it’s important to follow the specific orders given to you by your medical professional. Since they know your case personally, they’ll be able to give specific advice to get you healed and well in no time.
It’s also important to take advantage of having a doctor by asking any questions when you can. The internet can give you guidelines for healing time, but asking questions specific to your needs will get you the best answers.
Attend Follow-up Appointments
Follow-up appointments are important as they give your surgeon a chance to see how your healing is progressing. A medical professional must oversee your recovery after liposuction surgery as if there are any complications (which are uncommon) they will be able to fix them quickly. Attend all scheduled post-surgery appointments for the best care.
How Can Beautifi Help?
Liposuction is a great solution for removing any stubborn areas of fat. This surgery will improve your physique and your mental state, as it also promotes a positive self-image for patients! Make sure you’re aware of the best ways to heal post-surgery and always ask your doctor/surgeon any questions.
The Beautifi team is always here to help when choosing a surgeon or financially planning for a cosmetic procedure. Learn how our process works or fill out an application to start your procedure journey!