Bikram yoga and deep stretching after laser liposuction? (photos)

Swelling after liposuction varies greatly from patient to patient depending on the amount of fat removed, the agressiveness of surgery and patient characteristics.  Generally, patients who exercise will find swelling decreases more quickly.  However, in the first month or so, swelling can exacerbate due to strenuous exercise, salt intake, hormones or other causes that normally lead to water retention.  This should improve over time, continue to wear garments as instructed and follow post-operative instructions.  Stretching will not hurt your results and may improve swelling over time.

Your body is still healing and exercise can aggravate it. 16 days would be a long time for my patients to still need to be resting from surgery, but it’s not unheard of. Some patients just heal slower. The pins and needles feeling is normal, but it’s also an indication your nerve endings need more time to heal, though moving should not damage things. Go slowly and gently. See your doctor for a follow-up.

Intermittent swelling after any form of liposuction is normal. I normally tell my clients/patients that this is likely to last up to 6 weeks, so your situation seems normal. I do not think you will do any damage by continuing with your yoga. I also advise my lipo patients to undergo remedial (deep tissue) massage every week for 8 weeks after any lipo procedure. Massage and exercise to commence 2 weeks after the surgery.