Does the recovery process of liposuction involve pain that feels like you're "burning" or "on fire?"

Question

I am in the process of researching for a BBL and liposuction of my stomach area. I have heard quite a few times from patients who share their BBL experience that they had pain that they described as a "burning sensation," and "like being on fire." That sounds almost unbearable, and wanted to find out more about it.

Rajat Gupta, MD, MS, DNB · Answer

So these “burnings” or “on fire” sensations may happen in certain cases, but are mostly taken care by anti-inflammatory. So do not worry, meet a board certified plastic surgeon near you, go through the details of the procedure and then plan ahead.

Leyla Arvas, MD · Answer

Hi, pain is something very personal. You could use pain killers, usually its enough. If it is unbearable no one would have liposuction. First 3 days you feel more pain and after 1 week there would be no pain

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

this feeling and pain doesnt happen with the right aftercare and oral medications like neurontin.

my whole practice is doing lipoabdominoplasty, or at least liposuction with internal heating (which is not the gold standard for skin tightening with body contouring).

the smaller you are before liposuction the more contouring you can get from the procedure. most of my liposuction patients get pre and post surgical optimization with hormonal therapy (see link to help boost their weight loss before surgery and help them heal after).

You need a formal evaluation by an expert in body shaping and contouring to determine what is best.  Traditional liposuction awake and smart liposuction are old methods and do very poorly for tightening skin or significant skin tightening or contouring.  Small problem areas can be improved slightly by these methods.  The best in body contouring not only removes fat with energy devices like VASER ultrasound but also internally heat the skin with radio-frequency devices such as J PLASMA/RENUVION, InMode BodyTite, ThermiRF to heat the under surface of the skin and tighten it at the same time as fat removal. These combinations are called 4D HIDEF VASER contouring and can only be done by a well . trained body contouring specialist. At the same time fat should be harvested, PRP and stem cells added and injected into muscles or indentations/cellulite to get body shaping and contouring.  This is known as a Brazilian butt lift when you inject the fat to the buttock for contouring and lifting, but fat can also be used in areas such as the chest/breast, arms/shoulders, calves and face.  Cellulite should also be treated with cellfina, sculptra, subcision and/or fillers such as bellafill, renuva synthetic fat, or sculptra.  If skin is very loose before surgery then it will need to be removed such as lower abdominal skin (tummy tuck/abdominoplasty), breast skin (breast lift), arm skin (brachioplasty).  Overall you need a full assessment, but simple liposuction alone will not tighten skin and needs a combination of various methods -- fat removal, skin tightening, defining, fat grafting, skin removal -- to get the best in body contouring and body sculpting.  Dr. Emer.

James Knoetgen, III, MD · Answer

Recovery from liposuction generally involves some level of discomfort, but it usually doesn't feel like you're "burning" or "on fire." Patients often describe the sensation as soreness or tenderness, and there can be swelling and bruising in the treated areas. Some people might experience a feeling of tightness or a bit of a burning sensation due to inflammation or the healing process, but this is not the typical experience for everyone.
To manage pain and discomfort, plastic surgeons typically recommend pain medications and provide guidelines on how to care for the treated areas. Wearing compression garments as recommended can also help with swelling and support the healing process. If someone is experiencing intense or unusual pain, it's important to consult their surgeon to rule out any complications.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

Most patients describe the recovery from liposuction and fat transfer as feeling though like they had over done exercise to an extreme extent.

Typically patients feel stiff and sore and it hurts to move especially first thing in the morning when waking up. Moving through the discomfort just like moving through pain after exercise loosens things up and seems to help.

The worst is typically on the second day and after that it gets better each day. The pain gradually improves but patients may have slight lingering discomfort that should not prevent any activity for six weeks after the procedure or longer.

Ibuprofen is sufficient to control the pain for almost all patients having these procedures.

Best,

Mats Hagstrom, MD

Does the recovery process of liposuction involve pain that feels like you're "burning" or "on fire?"

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