2 Liters Removed During Vibration Assisted Lipo (VAL) But No Results - Why?

IT is nearly impossible to remove 2 liters of fat without seeing a difference, Therefore you still must have some swelling present. Give it at least 3 months to judge the results.

Bruising is common several days after liposuction. The aesthetic result is often not seen for several weeks to a few months after liposuction with improvement over six months or more.

The good news is that you are very early in your recovery following liposuction and that swelling and some bruising is normal. The swelling and bruising should improve over the next week. It generally takes 2-3 weeks to see your weight start to drop. The amount of weight you loose should be approximately equal to the amount of fat removed during the procedure (the amount of the  2 Liters of aspirate that was pure fat). At 6 weeks post-op you should see a nice improvement in your shape. Post-op photos are generally taken between 4 to 6 months after the procedure as it takes this long to see the "final" result.

I would recommend that you discuss your concerns with your Plastic Surgeon

Best regards, Andrew Lyos MD, FACS

The swelling will obscure the results for several weeks and it will take 6 months to see the final result.

akimber,

5 days after liposuction is too early to see results.  You are expected to have swelling that hides the effect of the liposuction.  I usually tell my patients to wait up to 4 weeks for the swelling to go away, and it takes up to 3 months to see the final results.

If you're 5'4" 127lb and your surgeon really did remove 2 litres, they you should definitely start seeing some improvements shortly.

 

Sincerely,

Martin Jugenburg, MD

GIVE IT TIME.  It takes months for swelling to subside after liposuction.  Give it time, cut out salt in your diet, have some lymphatic massages when your surgeon okays it, and give it time (I know I already said that).  Best wishes!

You get virtually zero result for first 3 weeks & about 50-60 percent result at six months.It is too early to think of result.I will advise you to follow the post operative instructions of your surgeon.

Bruising and swelling are normal sequelae of surgery, including liposuction, and should resolve within a couple of weeks, although some swelling may remain for several months. Final results will not be apparent for 6 months or so, although you should begin to notice improvement well before that.

Hi akimber,

It can take a long time to see the final results of liposuction.  I tell my patients that they can typically expect to see 85% of the result at 4-6 weeks, 95% at 3 months and that it can take up to six months - or even longer in some cases - to see the final results.  So 5 days is much too early to be even the slightest bit concerned about your result.  You should, of course, talk to your plastic surgeon about this and any other post-surgical issues.

In terms of fat removal, though, there are many different ways of "counting" the amount of fat that was removed.  In general, a certain amount of fluid (containing lidocaine and epinephrine) is injected just prior to the surgery.  This helps to constrict blood vessels (to diminish bleeding and bruising) and numbs the tissue (so that less sedation, if any, is necessary).  When you are trying to assess how much "fat" has been removed you typically have to take into account how much fluid was injected, how much total aspirate there was, and how much of that aspirate was fat (which usually float to the top of the container) and blood or excess injectate.  And you probably need to let it settle for 20-30 minutes before you can start to get an accurate accounting.  If a "melting" technique - such as laser or ultrasonic lipo - was used, then it may be that much more difficult to know exactly how much "fat" was removed.

So - 2 liters?  That can mean a lot of different things, and unless you know all of these factors you may not be able to draw a completely accurate conclusion.  But, for sure, you don't need to be concerned if, at 5 days post-op, you're not seeing any results...you just have to wait it out.

I hope that this helps, and good luck,

Dr. E