Should I Have Worn a Compression Garment After my Thigh Lift?

Every plastic surgeon does procedures somewhat differently and their postoperative care is also different. For the thigh lifts I perform I always use compression. Your compression garment will go from ankle or midcalf all the way up to the sternum. Thus I use one garment that compresses the abdomen and calves. I place this garment on my patients at the end of their thigh lift and you wake up in the recovery room with the garment on. Typically I have my... more

There are pros and cons for wearing a garment following a thigh lift so there is not one definitive answer. Ideally, it can provide some compression to help manage swelling as well as provide support and comfort but it can also cause other significant problems that can lead to, for example, skin loss or swelling lower down. As regards the swelling in your abdomen, even without a seroma, this can be present for several months following a tummy tuck and will fluctuate throughout the day.... more

Dear Kayrb, Thank you for the photos. I believe that it is too early to say allot about a final result in your tummy tuck. I explain to my patients that swelling, especially in the lower abdomen, will be minimal in the AM but worse at the day's end for around 4 months post op. Generally garment use often depends if concomitant liposuction is done. Skin resection alone would not demand a garment and often garments can be implicated in wound friction... more