How soon can I swim after liposuction? How long do I need to wear a compression garment?

I have all my patients wait 4 weeks before submerging in water, ponds, lakes, ocean etc.  In my practice patients wear compression for 24/7 first 7 days then 12 hours the next 7-14 days.  Some patients like to compress for weeks later, which wont hurt, but isn't necessary.  I suggest going to a body contouring specialist.  I am not a plastic surgeon, but am a dermatologic surgeon who did 100s of cases in my residency and now have a practice focused mainly on liposuction/lipocontouring/body sculpting and perform more liposuction than multiple plastic surgeons combined.  In fact, I am frequencly revising complications from other plastic surgeons in my area and across the world. With that said... I think what is important is not what title someone has -- ie plastic surgeon versus other --  but rather how experienced they are, how good their results are, how they treat their patients, how much of an expert they are etc.  Do your research and go to the best! Do not compromise your care of distance or cost.  Best, Dr. Emer.

 Your specific instruction should come from your own surgeon. I would permit my patients to immerse themselves in a pool, the ocean, or bathtub as soon as the access points for liposuction were totally sealed.

The use of the compression garment will vary from surgeon to surgeon.  All of the incisions should be well healed before contemplating ocean and pool use.  Make sure that you select a board certified plastic surgeon performs
several hundred procedures each year, has several hundred positive
reviews, and has
hundreds of pictures on his website.Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

I typically tell my patients to stay out of the water and to refrain from strenuous exercise for 6 weeks after surgery. Most patients are swollen after surgery and the compression garment will help control the swelling so the more you wear it, the better you will feel. In fact, a lot of my patients will wear the garment for 2-3 months just because they like how it feels. Every surgeon is different, however, so make sure you follow your operating surgeon's protocol. Good luck!

In our practice we recommend staying out of any water other than shower water for 4 weeks.  We have our patients wear some type of compression for about 6 weeks after surgery.  I would recommend going in for a few consultations with board certified plastic surgeons in your area.  Good luck! 

Always check with your surgeon for their recommendations. Once the liposuction sites are completely healed I tell my patients they can be under water, sometimes it's 3-4 weeks. Depending on your age and how your skin is retracting while swelling is coming out, you can expect to wear the garment at least 3-4 weeks, sometimes longer (6). See lots of pictures of your surgeons patients when making your decison, Liposuction results vary greatly. Best Wishes

Thank you for your question. I tell my patients that recovery can range from 5-7 days for liposuction and up to 2 weeks for more extensive body lifting procedures.The compression garment should be worn for 4 weeks following surgery. 1. Begin with a board certified
plastic surgeon and visit several offices
2. Seek a surgeon who does at least 100 of these procedures per year
3. Internet discussions do not replace the advice of your physician

For my patients with liposuction surgery I usually have them avoid exercise for at 10 days after surgery. They need to wear a compression garment for at three weeks after surgery and for those on whom I remove more fat a timeframe of about 6 weeks is more appropriate. Swimming is allowed after about two weeks if the bruising is gone. Patients need to be especially careful in outdoor pools or ocean that they do not get sun on the areas as sunburn will occur very easily and can cause over permanent pigmentation of the skin. Each patient heals differently and these are just rough guidelines for my patients. Each patient will be seen in the first week after surgery and adjustments will be made to what we tell them about the time start exercise. they are then seen again about six weeks after surgery to be sure everything is healing properly.

I typically ask my patients to wear compression garments for 48 hours. After that, they can wear them on and off but at least wear them for 12 hours a day for the following two weeks. After that, patients can wear them if they find them helpful.Best of luck,Mats Hagstrom, M.D.