Which is better for swelling: ice pack or heating pad?

Question

I had a tummy tuck with lipo to the flanks and upper back 4 days ago. Sometimes my compression garment won't completely cover the entire upper back which causes swelling pockets near the bra. These get very painful and even burn sometimes. Is it better to use ice packs or a heating pad to help this swelling go down?

Thomas A. Pane, MD · Answer

In that area it is unlikely you will hurt anything using either one.  I would choose whatever makes the area feel better, but in general swelling will be more responsive to a cool pack, but don't apply it directly to the skin.

Nelson Castillo, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question and I am sorry to hear of your swelling issues. I would first recommend reaching out to your surgeon's office to discuss a different, or additional compression garment that better fits your operative sites to avoid this isolated swelling.  Though one would want to be careful about placing hot or cold packs over recently operated surgical areas because of numbness that may exist, talk to your surgeon about adjunct swelling measures when adjusting your compression garment.

Vincent N. Zubowicz, MD · Answer

Ice packs in the first few hours after liposuction may help with swelling. After this the only rationale would be for comfort. Heat packs would actually aggravate swelling.

Tania Medina de Garcia, MD · Answer

Hello dear, thanks for your post. Some of my patients have had success in reducing 
the swelling by having lymphatic drainage massage treatments and using the compression garment.  Be 
patient-it takes a good 3 months for swelling to go down. But I recommend to follow you PS instructions. Good luck :)

Michael M. Omidi, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for the question.  Your best option right now is to follow your surgeons post operation recovery protocols since we do have different ways of handling the healing of patients.  I doubt that ice packs/heat pads would do much good now.  Best of luck, Dr. Michael Omidi.

Tom J. Pousti, MD · Answer

Best to run these types of questions by your plastic surgeon who knows your situation best and is ultimately responsible for your care. Regardless, patients should be very careful about applying cold or heat to recently operated upon areas; these areas will likely be numb and can potentially be damaged by  excessive cold/heat that the patient does not sense . Therefore, in my practice, I ask patients not to apply either cold packs or heating pads  directly upon surgical sites. Again, your plastic surgeon will be your best resource. Best wishes for an outcome that you will be very pleased with long-term outcome.

Richard J. Wassermann, MD, MPH, FACS · Answer

Hello and thank you for reaching out. I would actually consult your surgeon prior to using either of those remedies. Patient's can experience numbness and hypersensitive skin after a surgical procedure, and you may not feel the true temperature of what you are using for the swelling and could cause damage. Better to touch base with the doctor. Best Wishes.

Daniel Krochmal, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you very much for your question.Congratulations on your surgery!  At 4 days, I haven't found that either ice or heat work very well for swelling.  I typically recommend ice packs for some surgeries but not tummy tucks (I want as much blood flow to the stomach as possible, and cold causes the blood vessels to constrict).  I typically don't recommend heating pads to be used after surgery, as the ability of the skin to detect and respond to heat changes, and skin can very easily get burned.I would continue to follow closely with your surgeon and follow their recommendations.  Best of luck!

James E. Leake, MD (retired) · Answer

i would recommend ice packs. you may want to ask your surgeon about changing to a full body compression device that includes the bra and abdominal compression together as one piece, to help avoid this above girdle swelling you are experiencing.

Which is better for swelling: ice pack or heating pad?

Answers (9)

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