How long will swelling last after Smart Lipo on arms?

I have suffered like a dog and still have a large area where it is very dark and swollen after a month.

i just had smart lipo 3 days ago, inner, outer thighs and tiny part of buttocks. i am bruised and more sore than expected. I think i have same bruising as you. Did you find the compression garment was too tight and did it make it worse?

Cotton- I had a retreatment of smartlipo with aspiration 3 days ago, after a year of no results with just smart lipo. I too feel like I got hit by a train, and have the severe swelling in the areas you describe. The bruising is very nasty and I have feel like an invalid in my own home, too sore to move around much at all. If the painkillers are working, I'd dread to think what the pain would be like without them...I wasn't sedated, and for most of the 3 hours or more I was hurting- alot! I'm praying that the results will be worth it, but I'm very scared by the sight that meets my eyes when I change the dressings...kind of reassuring to read from others who have experienced more serious bruising and pain than others did, and I hope to read that it was all worth it in the end to them too. Will keep checking the reviews and posting progress...

This is the only positive comment I have seen & I'm clinging 2 it!!!

Saz22- Right! My advice to you is to NOT rush into it, make sure you have researched the surgeon and that you discuss ALL the possible problems regardng pain, swelling and bruising, poor results, cost of recommended aftercare treatments to help you get the best results or smooth lumps etc. You should ask to see the consent form that you'll be asked to sign directly before the treatment at the same time, and do all of this on a day prior to your treatment, not just before you have it done, so you can really mull it over. I know it sounds off-putting and so many reviews will confuse you, but read them all and get the balance of outcomes, I'm sure some of it is to do with your own pain threshold, aswell as the expertise of the surgeon. My surgeon is excellent, though he was retreating areas that were affected by the first surgeon doing a bad job. Also, some medications that you take can cause you to bruise more- I take an anti inflammatory and this thins the blood, so I will bruise more. I took arnica 7 days before, and now after, to hopefully help with this. I am surprised by the pain I've felt this time, I wasn't ready for it, and you might not get it. As you will have read, some don't. When have you booked for? If it's a couple of weeks away, do lots of reading and thinking before going ahead, if it's sooner then I would discuss your apprehensions with the clinic, but be armed with the knowledge of others' experiences, and write down your questions. Think, have you seen ANY adverts from clinics tht describe smart lipo as 'possibly quite painful and bound to cause swelling and bruising, and it may not even work...' probably not?! Obviously, alot will also depend on the areas you're having done. I hope that, in a few weeks, I will be reporting that I'm seeing results and that the pain is long gone...Good Luck

Hiya I had Smart Lipo with aspiration on 17 Nov 08 on my love handles. I had some discomfort and wasn't great at moving around but I took a week off work to rest and the results are fab I've lost quite a bit and its really noticeable I'm extremely happy with the results. My scars are absolutely tiny and you'd never have known I've had Smart Lipo! I honestly wouldn't worry if you have the experience I had you will be fine

Good for you Nikkixx- I am still at the stage where I'm looking out for positive, but honest reviews and I'm thinking positively about the results that can be achieved. So pleased to read your comment. As it is one of the areas I had redone I'd be interested to know how long the bruising/swelling/hardness took to settle, before revealing your pleasing results?

please let me know due to me having mine done 5 days ago and I have massive swelling in my abdominal area and flanks when does this go away

Hi star gazer, It all depends, Keep the garment on tight and it reduces the swelling. I also used ice packs.

Hi sazz, I had smart lipo done on my inner and outer thighs originally about 2 yrs ago. I do not want to deter you but looking back at what I went through (the pain and the recoveries) I would never have done it.

I had it redone 3 times and then they did a cutting of the skin surgery which I now have a scar. I was not even heavy but I thought it would make my legs look better. My doctor was and is awesome and he fixed them until I was content at no extra cost. If I could go back I would never have done it.

Hi! Don't be scared. As long as you have done some research on your Dr. you will be fine. I had laser lipo on my stomach both sections, inner thighs & above my hip area. It was the best thing I ever did.I would do it all over again if I had to. Today is 4 weeks since my surgery. After the first day everyone was amazed at my new figure. Then you go through swelling. I still have some swelling in my stomach, but am so flat. My skin is shrinking nicely to my body. The worst for me was my inner thighs. It felt like pins and needles. At 3 weeks I started walking 1-2 miles a day. at 4 weeks, I am running some, my thighs feel a bit of pain yet. During all of the healing, I just kept on putting frozen veg. bags on me. the pain was not very bad for me. I went back to work on day 4, that day was a little tough for me. Sitting at the desk upright was difficult because my spanks kept on folding into me there...so I did find more of a full piece to put on, since I needed a compression for my thighs & stomach up to my ribcage. I went home & slept that day & felt better the next day. After the first week, I did not take anymore pain medicine. Don't be scared if you see bruising go down through your body. My bruising went all the way down my legs & very dark. That only lasted 3 weeks for me. I am so excited about my new body! So worth it! My stomach used to look like I had a round circle, from kids & on top of my rib cage I had what I thought was fat, but the Dr. said that was more fibroids & tissue there. He was able to flatten that out as well! Good luck! They took out 1 & 3/4 of fat from me. Thats almost like holding a 2 liter bottle of soda. Everyone that sees me says I look like I did in highschool! If you are near the Sarasota, fl area...I highly recommend Dr. Sessa! He is awesome!!!!

Hi Saz. It's great that you have time to really think about this. I don't really think that testimonials on the clinic's webpage would be the best to go by- there would surely be an element of bias in the selection. Also, the ones I've read seem to be made shortly after surgery, not later when results could be commented on. Another wesite (the first one I found) with a forum on smart lipo is sofeminine.co.uk. You can set up a profile and send private messages to home email accounts-I discussed a point with someone who'd posted details of failed smart lipo and it helped to ask a couple of things that didn't seem appropriate asked publically (such as clinic, surgeon). I'll look out for your name! If you do go ahead, driving home best done immediately afterwards, as side effects might not have hit you yet. I'd make sure you have someone to take you home. I kept saying during my op that I'd rather they put me to sleep, but that's an anaesthetist to pay for! Research-wise, I kept putting in various questions with the words 'smart lipo' in to google searches- you'll get a lot of clinics popping up among the articles though! Are you in the UK or elsewhere?

I had smart lipo done last April - i had swelling & mild bruising I was very sore too but the results were worth it. I also however had a "touch-up" 2 days ago & had some extra areas done too - the bruising this time is much much worse & I feel like I've been hit by a bus. It will be worth it in the end but people need to know what to expect it is not as "pain free" as they advocate & I would recommend having someone around for the few days after to help you especially getting up & down.. Good Luck, but be aware as well!

Hi smartlipod. Your experiences are so similar to mine, it is almost a relief to read that I am not alone with the severity of my side effects, especially as you are able to say that you are actually pleased with the results. A positive outcome is all I'm hoping for now. Can I ask how the incision points are healing? I have marks left from the first time over a year ago, but would like to do all I can to reduce the new ones as much as possible. You are so right about available communications mostly suggesting side effects would be minimal. There are many postings on this forum site and the other one I found (sofeminine.co.uk) that do however indicate a high failure rate with not much help from the clinic or surgeon in helping to achieve the realistic outcome agreed upon. I believe that many of these were smart lipo without aspiration, and that it is the aspiration that potentially causes the most pain, during and after(in fact, my surgeon confirmed this during my treatment). However, it seems that aspiration is necessary to obtain results (although some were lucky enough to succeed without- which is supposed to be the whole idea!). Anyway, keep on posting. People need to read true experiences to be fully prepared- as we thought we were!

Hi Efcaz, I've had smartlipo done on my outer thighs at a clinic in the North called The Cavendish Clinic (part of the Advanced Medical Rejuvenation group). They are Healthcare Commission registered. I would definitely recommend them, in particular Dr Khan who was very good and is a recognised trainer of Smart lipo with aspiration. He trains with Rupert at the Snowberry clinic (see the Times Online article) and also lectures on the subject. I understand your concerns as I think Smart lipo isn't as common in the UK. I had all those worries. However, I'm over 3 weeks post op and really pleased with the results. I've lost 1 inch from each thigh and I'm still swollen so I'm sure this will reduce even more. And my skinny jeans look better already! The only thing I would say is be prepared that it is uncomfortable and the post op recovery takes a while. Dr Khan was very good and explained the whole procedure, I had lots of questions which he answered very patiently. He explained that it wasn't a 'lunchtime procedure' and I'd definitely agree with him, I was very sore for 5 days and then started to feel better. I had lots of bruising and found arnica cream really helped. I'm still a bit sore but feel better each day. Hope this helps and good luck if you decide to go ahead.