How Long Before I See Results From Ab Liposuction?

Patients undergoing liposuction
will inevitably develop swelling following this procedure.In many cases, the swelling can be so severe
that it obscures the results of the liposuction procedure.In many cases the treated area may appear
larger than it did prior to treatment.During the procedure the liposuction cannula is passed through the
subcutaneous tissue, this causes disruption of the lynthatic channels and
cellular injury which causes swelling.Significant
improvement in swelling can be seen in the first 3 weeks following surgery,
with the majority gone in about of 3 months.Small amounts of swelling may persist for up to a year following
surgery, at this point patients are able to see their final result. We
generally recommend the use of compression support garments for about 3 weeks
following surgery.We also recommend a
low salt diet before and after liposuction.Exercise is usually started early in the post-operative period and we
want patients to ambulate as soon as possible following surgery.Massage
is also helpful, it decreases swelling by mobilizing retained fluid following
liposuction.All of these steps help to
minimize the duration of swelling following surgery.In
your case your swelling is normal and should resolve with time.Compression, massage, ambulation and low salt
intake will hopefully help you get there sooner.

After removing 600 cc, you should see some difference unless 1000cc could have been removed in which case, you may not have been a good candidate for lipo and may have achived better results with weight loss followed by targeted liposuciton. Give it at lesat 4-6 months as you r doctor advised.

The results of liposuction should be close to the "final" results between 3 to 4 months after the procedure. In general, there should be a noticeable improvement in the first week after surgery. You swelling improves significantly 3 to 4 weeks after surgery and you should notice a weight loss close to the amount of fat aspirated. Most post-operative photos are taken 4 to 5 moths following liposuction.

The amount of fat removed during liposuction will affect your results. Removal of 600 cc's in an extremely fit individual, as is done in an abdominal etching procedure, will produce a nice result. Removal of this amount in a heavier individual will produce a less dramatic result. I would recommend discussing your concerns with you Plastic Surgeon.

Best Regards, Andrew Lyos MD, FACS

The amount really depends on what you started with, so for someone it may be adequate for others it may not be.

As for the results, it takes about 4 months before the swelling subsides and you can then appreciate your improvement.  At this point you need to be patient and wait to see how things shape out.

Good luck.

It usually takes up to 4 to six months to see the full improvement. The number of ccs of fat removed is important to clarify that it was the supranatant fat, not a combination of fat and fluids in the container of the removed aspirate. If it was 600ccs of the fat alone, then depending on the amount of fat you had initially, which we don't know, that could be a considerable amount and you would see improvement. If however you had a significant abdomen preoperatively then you may not see much change.