Wearing Compression Garment After Tumescent Liposuction?

This is not necessarily a bad thing. Compression, if worn properly, will help reduce swelling. Others believe in manual lymphatic drainage. There is great controversy when it comes to compression garment recommendations and no one really has the answer. It really comes down to individual experience. Although you may have heard of some individuals prescribing water pills, this is generally discouraged. Gentle ambulation exercises will help to mobilize the fluid and encourage you to naturally... more

You should plan on a good six to eight weeks of use. Thank you for your question and good luck with everything.

I counsel patients to wear compression 24/7 for 1 week following treatment, and then 12 hours daily for up to 1 month. Compression does reduce swelling. Swelling can worsen 2-4 weeks after the procedure, the skin may "harden" at that time, but will improve by 2-3 months. This is all expected and part of the healing process. In fact, the skin hardening or "induration" can signal good skin tightening to come. However, prolonged swelling outside... more

Every surgeon is different with their post op directions to their patients so I would follow your surgeon's direction for after surgery. I normally recommend that the compression garment is worn for (on average) 4 weeks depending on exactly what areas were treated.

You'll find a different answer from almost every surgeon!  It's a surgeon preference thing, rather than being scientifically proven. I recommend 2 weeks of 24 hours per day, then 2 weeks of 12+ hours per day, then patient discretion thereafter.

I advise my patient to wear the compression garment for 24 hours a day for the first 2 weeks after surgery and 12 hours a day for the next 2 weeks after surgery. The compression garment will help with the swelling and also with skin tightening. At this point you may look into getting lymphatic massage as the garment will probably not help much. Also, I would advise you to decrease your activity level because this can lead to more swelling during the recovery period. Good luck.  ... more

I advise my patients to wear their compression garments for a minimum of 6 weeks, some patients even longer.  This will help reduce your edema and improve your contour.  Gradually increasing your activity as tolerated; this will also help.  Your symptoms are very normal so soon after your procedure.   Warmest regards, Dr. Pippin.

Kimathomek, Compression garments prevent excessive swelling right after surgery, and then work to speed up the recovery by speeding up resorption of tissue fluid (swelling).  They also help to contour the liposuctioned areas.  In addition to garments we also instruct our patients to massage all liposuctioned areas.  Initially you will have some lumps, which need to be massaged.  These lumps are a combination of swelling, scarring, and residual fat.  This... more

I recommend that my patients wear compression in some form for about 6 weeks after liposuction.  This helps prevent excess swelling and helps mold the final shape.  In addition, I recommend lymphatic massage starting about 2 weeks after the procedure.

The compression garment is one of the most important factors in achieving a good result after liposuction. After a patient has received liposuction, the overlying skin on the treated area needs to stick smoothly onto the underlying muscle. The compression garment squeezes the skin against the muscle and helps this process. The compression garment can also help control the swelling which will also make the patient more comfortable. In our practice, we recommend that patients use the... more

The compressive garments should be worn as long as you can stand them. Three weeks full time is best and after that part time if you get some swelling. Wear them at night. No problem. The compressive garment will make things look better sooner, but the long term end point will be the same.