How Long to Wear Compression Garment After Smart Lipo

Thanks for your question.
As with any treatment you have received you should direct questions like this to your doctor.
The concept of compression garments after any form of liposuction are two fold.
First the garment helps collapse the tunnels within the fat that have been formed by the liposuction. This improves the result and that compression needs to be in place until the scar tissue has formed to help hold those tunnels in a collapsed position. This usually takes 2 weeks to a month and in rare cases as long as six weeks.
The second concept of a compression garment is to reduce swelling and edema in the area. This usually only requires about one to two weeks.
There is some variability on length of compression I use in my practice depending on the site of the liposuction I have performed. In general if a patient can tolerate the compression garment a little longer the results tend to be better.
I hope this helps.

Steven Williams, MD

I typically have my patients wear their compression garments for at least two weeks after their procedure. This helps bring down the swelling as much as possible. I've had quite a few patients wear them for longer in the past because they like the extra support.

The compression garments that you wear after liposuction is very important in helping you achieve great results. It is used to both help reduce swelling and to let the skin settle down beautifully onto the body after it has been sculpted.I usually recommend that my patients wear the garment continuously for the first 48 hours and then take it off daily to shower and wash the garment while continuing to use the garment for two weeks after the procedure.  Very often my patients will choose to continue wearing the garment for some time after that because they feel that it provides them comfort. I am okay with it!During the recovery process, I will also encourage patients to massage themselves or have some sort of post liposuction massage treatment.There are so many things that can be done after the procedure that can help give the best result.I wish you the best,Dr. Gabbay.

Hello,
In our practice we have surgery patients where the surgical
garment for 1 week and then switch to a second stage garment similar to spanx.
I would recommend calling your physician that performed your procedure and see
what they recommend. The garments will help to minimize the inflammation you
experience after the procedure and provide comfort with support as you are
healing.

We advise all our patients to wear their compression garments for at least four to six months with high pressure. Better results are given if it is worn 24 hours a day for the first month. After the first month patient can remove their garment at night. 

Hi,
Compression garments should be worn for at least 6-8 weeks with the addition of lipofoam. You can change sizing of the garment as your get smaller.

For best results, I advise wearing compression for 2 weeks post-procedure, then while awake for weeks 3-4. As a patient's swelling dissipates, it is safe to switch to an supportive undergarment or shapewear such as Spanx that will continue to apply pressure while the treated areas continue to heal.

I perform quite a bit of Smartlipo at my practice, and I'm
glad to hear that your recovery is going well. Typically, surgeons provide
patients with specific postoperative directions tailored to their specific
case. Compression garments help during the healing process by preventing seroma
formation and swelling. Although they
can be uncomfortable, they are important to wear. I usually advise my patients
to wear the garments for 2 weeks, but no longer than that. Occasionally, the
garment can be too tight and actually cause a crease or groove, and if that is
the case, we will advise the patient to discontinue wearing the garment at 1
week and wear something less compressive for another week. I would contact your
surgeon to ask if there is a reason to continue wearing the compression garment
longer than 1 or 2 weeks. Good luck with the rest of your recovery.

Thank you for submitting ypur question. You will have a variety of answers to your question.  I recommend to my patients to use compression for 2 weeks, then switch to a contour garment such as SPANX.  Follow your Plastic Surgeons recommendations. best Wishes.

While I can't speak for your surgeon, I personally have my liposuction patients wear the garment 24/7 except to shower for 4 weeks post op for 3 main reasons:1.) Controlling swelling: the compression on your tissues helps your body to reabsorb the edema fluid that accumulates in the tissues after any procedure. This can take quite some time to happen without help from the compression garments2.) Improving contour: the compression helps to keep the tissues adherent to the underlying structures while healing, this can help prevent the wrinkled skin appearance that can happen when the tissues heal in ways we don't want them to.3.) Improving scarring: pressure has been shown to improve the appearance of scars. A tummy tuck scar is quite long and right on the front of your body so anything that can help make it flatter, softer and less visible is to your advantage.For those reasons many of us would argue that the compression is as important as, if not more important than, the method of liposuction used in determining the final outcome.Hope that helps!

It all depends on your surgeon. Every surgeon has their own guidelines on garments after surgery, so please ask yours.