I am having a lower body lift that includes a tummy tuck; would it be important for me to wear a Fajas compression garment?

Hello,There are many different types of post surgical garment or binder which can be worn for different lengths of time after surgery- depending on your surgeon's preferences. There are many benefits to compression after your procedure. The pressure of the compression garment helps control swelling, bruising and discomfort while the body heals from the effects of a tummy tuck. This pressure works to shift fluid balances in the affected area, “pushing” the fluid out of the tissues and encouraging the body to absorb them naturally. When the body is able to properly absorb these fluids, the bruising and swelling that is common to the recovery process is sped up.I provide my Tummy Tuck patients with an abdominal binder after surgery to be worn for a total of 6 weeks. When Tummy Tuck is done in conjunction with Liposuction of thighs/legs I will typically order a custom garment. Each Plastic Surgeon has reasons for their preference. I recommend that you discuss this further with your surgeon.All the best

There are many types and brands of compression garments out there, which is proof that there is no single manufacturer that has overtaken the market with their superiority. Your surgeon uses a specific garment for specific procedures, and will either supply this to you as part of the surgery, or will recommend one for you to purchase prior to surgery. It will be applied in the operating room before you wake up from anesthesia, and may not be changed for up to a week. Then, a different or new garment may be recommended.More worrisome is your plan to travel to the Dominican Republic from your (listed) home in Chicago for surgery. Surgical tourism is a bad plan for a multitude of reasons. But if your surgery is today, this advice is too late for you. I hope you have no complications or need for additional surgical care after you return home. Best wishes! Dr. Tholen

The swelling in the abdominal area after a tummy tuck or lower body lift is time related (takes about 4 months to remove in most cases).  A binder does not change this time course.in addition there is some data that abdominal compression garments can increase complications after those procedures.  Abdominal binders have been proven by Doppler studies to slow blood flow in the central veins of the body (major leg veins).  Anything which slows blood flow has at least a theoretic risk of increasing the risk of life threatening clots (DVT's).  Additionally a tight garment can restrict the venous drainage of an abdominal skin flap leading to a higher risk of skin loss or necrosis.so, not only would I not focus on a particular type of garment, but I would strongly advise against the use of an abdominal compression garment for the first thirty days after a tummy tuck nor lower body lift.

Great question.  There are dozens of types of compression garments, and the one selected should match the type of procedure you are having.  Also, different surgeons have different preferences when it comes to compression garments.  For instance, for my typically tummy tuck/body lift with liposuction, I only have my patients wear an abdominal binder.  Because surgeons have different preferences, I would go along with what your surgeon recommends.  Your doctor also wants you to have the best recovery and results, and it's likely that whatever they recommend is what has worked well for them in the past.  Congratulations on your surgery, and best of luck!

After all types of body contouring surgery compression garments are utilized to help improve the results of the procedure.  There are hundreds of different types of garments available, I don't believe any of them have any distinct advantage over each other.  Please ask your surgeon what type of garment is used for his/her post operative period, they will use what they are most comfortable with.Good Luck!

Compression garments are extremely important after body contouring procedures to minimize complications such as seroma and hematoma. Discuss the rationale behind your surgeon's garment selection.DrBurnett#realself100