Air travel and car travel especially over long distances carries a risk of a blood clot in the leg or DVT - deep venous thrombosis. The risk of DVT is higher after surgery particularly with sugery that is extensive and involves general anesthesia. The risk of DVT is markedly reduced after tumescent liposuction for a number or reasons - generallly the area treated is small due to limitations of tumescent anesthesia, the cannulas used are smaller and the procedure less traumatic to the tissue so there is quicker recovery and return to normal activity levels - most importanly walking which we encourage the day after the procedure, and NO general anesthesia is administered.
You can reduce your risk of DVT by ambulating frequently during your flight or long car ride, flexing your calf muscles often, wearing knee high or thigh high medical compression stockings of at least 12-18 mm Hg pressure or higher, and drinking lots of fluid.
There is no guarantee but if you follow the above advice, have a small area of liposuction without general anesthesia, and are healthy, active and a non-smoker, your risk of DVT should be minimal even 4-5 days after tumescent liposuction.
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