What Are 3 Things to Avoid Before Liposuction?

Thank you for your question. Our goal is to make your surgical experience as easy and comfortable as possible.If you are a smoker, it is recommended to stop smoking well in advance of surgery since smoking can impair the healing process. Certain medications that increase the risk of bleeding such as Aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, and some vitamins/homeopathic regimens should be discontinued before undergoing liposuction surgery. We will provide you with additional preoperative instructions.Liposuction surgery is performed on an outpatient basis. Be sure to arrange for someone to drive you home after surgery and to stay with you for the next 24 hours. Best of luck!Dhaval M. Patel Double board certifiedPlastic surgeonHoffman EstatesBarringtonOakbrookChicago

1. Avoid a doc who still uses general anesthesia or laser liposuction although there are some that can still do a decent job but why take the risk.

2. Avoid meds or supplements that thin the blood such as aspirin, advil, aleve or vit e etc...for a week.. Let your doc know all your meds and past medical history.

3. Avoid cheap liposuctions.  Unfortunately, you get what you pay for.

Sincerely,

David Hansen,MD

Before liposuction surgery it is important to avoid aspirin and aspirin products as well as Advil, Motrin, Aleve (all ibuprofen products), alcohol, Vitamin E and Omega Fish Oil (which can interfere with Lidocaine). These are all things that will thin the blood. Your surgeon, pre-operatively should give you a list of medications, supplements, to avoid. All medications you are taking should be disclosed to your surgeon prior to your surgery in order to avoid any unexpected problems.

 

I recommend a complete physical exam and a review of your general health and all medications, herbs and supplements that you are taking.  You also need to be a good candidate for the procedure.   An experience liposuction surgeon will have a preoperative checklist to make sure that you are safely prepared to have the procedure.

Your doctor should review with you what you need to avoid before surgery as well as your restrictions postoperatively. Blood thinners that can increase bleeding a bruising should be avoided for around 10 - 14 days prior to surgery and these include both prescription and over the counter meds such as aspirin, ibuprofen, aleve. There are a variety of herbal and nutritional supplements that also should be avoided such as high dose Vit E. (A  complete list is too long to cover here.)

 

I would say the best thins to avoid are medications that can cause blood thinnning like Aspirin and NSAID's.

1) aspirin. That causes bleeding. You know it can be given at the time of a heart attack for this purpose. Similarly, avoid all similar forms such as ibuprofen and many others. Tylenol or acetaminophen is okay for aches and pains.

2) medicines that may interfere with lidocaine, the fluid that is injected into the fatty areas. The list is long and may not be important for relatively small areas like your tummy or outer thighs. Make sure your physician has the full list of all of your daily medications.

3) falling for marketing ploys such as "Smartlipo," "Slimlipo" and the like. Realize that these terms and tools are mainly being used for advertising and offer no proven value. They may actually add more risk to the procedure.

Hopefully, you have chosen a dermatologic or plastic surgeon who will guide you through the treatment with your best interests in mind.

Thank you for the question.

There will be a whole list of "dos and  don'ts” that will be provided to you by your plastic surgeon prior to your surgery ( usually on a preoperative visit). Any “list of 3” that I provide here will be a small subset of what you will be provided.

Best wishes.

I agree 100% with Dr. Stridde.  Do not be fooled by those not certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (accept no substitue).  They often promote local anesthetic only liposuction because they operate under the radar of state or federal regulations of office surgery.   A woman in Washington State died of an overdose of local anesthetic about 2 years ago under these very circumstances.  Patient beware!

One important item not mentioned for your preop checklist is that you have appropriate expectations. To get your best results you should avoid being overweight. Patients near their goal weight get a better outcome.