How long do the dissolvable stitches take to heal after lipo?

Question

When getting lipo the doc said he used dissolvable stitches. How long do those take to dissolve?

Frank Agullo, MD · Answer

It really depends on what type of stitch your surgeon used. Some sutures go away as fast as in five days and some can take a few months.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

You should speak to your physician as there are many types of stitches and they dissolve at various rates.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Vishnu Rumalla, MD · Answer

Thanks for your inquiry,  absorbable sutures are commonly placed during plastic surgery procedures.  How quickly they "dissolve" depends on the type and thickness.  The kind used on a liposuction procedure are usually short lasting under 2 weeks, hope that help.

Robert M. Tornambe, MD · Answer

brittcurbow.  It depends on the type of absorbable sutures that your plastic surgeon uses. He or she may use Vicryl sutures in the subcutaneous plane, and they take 4-6 weeks to dissolve, however since they are beneath the skin, should not be an issue. If your surgeon uses absorbable sutures placed through the skin, they usually last 7 to 14 days. Review all postoperative instructions with your surgeon before your operation. Good luck.

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

Absorbable sutures can be used.  Sometimes these sutures do not dissolve as quickly as necessary, and they must be removed.  The time frame can last from a few days to one to two weeks or even several months. By the time the sutures are dissolved, the incision is completely healed.

David Finkle, MD · Answer

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Liposuction is the suction removal of subcutaneous fat. Subcutaneous fat is located just below the surface of the skin and above the muscles and bones. It doesn't remove all of the fat, but it does remove the majority of the fat. The perfect candidate is at or near their ideal body weight and has localized areas of fat that are out of proportion to the rest of the body.  It is not a weight reduction technique. It can be used on any area of the body, but it relies on the skin redraping after the fat is removed. So, if you have loose skin, you may end up with wrinkles or folds after the surgery. Some areas respond better to liposuction than others, the lateral thighs always look nice, the inner thighs and arms, not so much. The tummy depends on how loose the skin was to begin with. It does not remove or improve stretch marks. There are many different terms used for liposuction:
Tumescent liposuctionPower liposuctionLaser liposuctionVaser liposuctionSmart liposuctionUltrasonic liposuctionAnd many, many more. All these techniques vary a little, but the bottom line is that the fat is removed by high powered suction. A small tube or cannula with multiple holes at the end is hooked to a suction device. The cannula is moved rapidly back and forth to remove the fat through very small incisions in the skin. All blood vessels, nerves, muscle, bone and skin is left alone, just the fat is removed. Large amounts of fluid are placed in the subcutaneous fat before the suction begins to reduce bleeding and to numb the skin, this fluid is referred to as tumescent fluid and consists of a balanced salt solution mixed with adrenalin and a local anesthetic. There are 3 choices of anesthesia:
Local anesthesia (the patient is awake)Local with sedation (the patient is given a mild sedation)General anesthetic (the patient is asleep)The choice is based upon an agreement between the patient and the surgeon. Make sure you consult with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who operates in a nationally accredited surgery center and offers board certified anesthesia. If the price you are quoted seems abnormally low, please do your research and find out why, you do not want to be surprised the day of your surgery! Liposuction can be combined with many other procedures; tummy tuck, breast reduction, thigh lift, arm lift, neck lift and is an essential part of a Brazilian Butt lift (this is where the fat comes from!)
All of my patients are treated post operatively with a compression garment that is worn for 2 weeks and 5 Endermologie sessions that start 3-4 weeks after the procedure. Endermologie is a non surgical massage technique that helps to smooth out the results of the surgery to help prevent wrinkling and rippling of the skin. Liposuction is not a very painful procedure and recovery is usually quick. 
Most people are back to work in 3-5 days and back to vigorous exercise in 2 weeks. Of course, if more areas are treated, there will be more pain post operatively and a longer recovery. I was back to work 3 days after my abdominal liposuction and no one knew any better! 
The cost varies not only from city to city, but from patient to patient. The more areas that are treated, the higher the cost. In the midwest, typical liposuction prices varies from $3,000-6,000 total.
Good Luck!

Sofia Santareno, MD · Answer

It depends on the brand of the stitches. Vycril rapid can last up to 10 days; monocryl (transparent one) up to 20 days; coated vycril 1 month; PDS 2 months.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

there are different types of dissolvable sutures. Some will lose their strength within the five days and others will stay present though may not maintain their strength for six months or longer. These type of sutures are generally placed underneath the skin surface so they do not leave score marks and the amount of time needed for them to be dissolved is not all that important. When used as skin stitches being placed on the skin surface we rely on rapidly absorbing sutures such as Vicryl Rapide or plain gut sutures. Personally Ichoose to not close my openings which are done with a round 2 mm skin biopsy to call the skin punch. These scores tend to leave a scar that looks more like a freckle or skin blemish rather than the surgical incision which can be a giveaway that someone has had liposuction. Best, Mats Hagstrom M.D.

Jon Ver Halen, MD, FACS (license suspended) · Answer

Dear Britt,Hello and thank you for your excellent question. Typically, we do not place sutures in the liposuction holes, but some surgeons do. Some surgeons will use dissolvable sutures that dissolve (generally) in 1-2 weeks, while some surgeons place permanent sutures that need to be removed in the clinic. You may want to look into a body contouring procedure that combines both liposuction with laser, radiofrequency (RF), or acoustic therapy to produce the best balance of fat reduction and skin tightening and smoothing for your body type and anatomy. We use a proprietary technique that we call IDEAL Liposuction, combined with Emsculpt to help each patient reach his or her desired result. First off, all devices and instruments used are FDA-approved. We start your treatment with Emsculpt to help strengthen your abdominal muscles, augment your buttocks, and reduce any diastasis or abdominal muscle laxity that you may have. This helps convert those patients that need a full tummy tuck to either a mini tummy tuck, or liposuction alone. We then use Smart / Laser Liposuction or VASER (ultrasound) to reduce dense, fibrous fat, and stimulate collagen formation; Radiofrequency-based skin tightening to maximize skin contraction; and Ultrasound, RF, or subcision (Z Wave, Venus, Cellfina) to treat cellulite. These procedures are usually performed in the office, with only local anesthesia. Patients go home the same day as surgery, do not need any narcotics postop for pain control, and can return to light exercise and work two days after their procedure. In my practice, we select the appropriate treatment for each patient based on their skin quality, amount of fat and surgical goals. It is best to answer your question during a face-to-face evaluation, when you can discuss your goals and expectations for the procedure, and you can have a physical examination to evaluate for that procedure. I recommend that you find a board-certified, or board-eligible plastic surgeon with whom you are comfortable. Be sure to have all of your questions answered during a face-to-face meeting with your surgeon, and review before and after pictures of similar patients whom have had this procedure. If you have any questions, call our office for assistance. Good luck!
  
Best,
  
Jon Ver Halen, MD FACS
  
Harvard educated plastic surgeon
  
Texas “Top Doc” 2017, 2018
  
RealSelf100
  
America’s Top Plastic Surgeons, Consumer’s Research Council, 2010 – 2018
  
BeautyAdvisor Top Contributor

How long do the dissolvable stitches take to heal after lipo?

Answers (9)

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