Are there approaches for Liposuction that help the body heal faster?

Hello @tyty82, thank you for your question. There are various factors at play in the healing process, including the type of surgical technique and the technology employed. We use techniques and technologies that will allow us to achieve the most favorable results for patients. For example, Microair allows us to reduce the characteristics of the volumes without causing so much trauma to the tissues. Laser and Vaser technology are also available. However, the type of technology used for surgery depends on the objective of each patient and their particular case. It is important that you have a consultation with a board certified specialist to determine a surgical plan according to your needs. Best wishes! Alan Gonzalez MD, FACS.

Thank you for your questions. Things to do after having liposuction to help get back on your feet quicker are to hydrate, lymphatic massages, get off prescription pain meds asap and walk around as much as you can but not for exercise. Everyone heals differently but I tend to see my patients do pretty well with these few suggestions. Best of luck to you.

Dear tyty82,
I understand your concern. It is best that you consult your plastic surgeon regarding post operative care and management (i.e including massage techniques and timing) specific to your case. Your surgeon knows your condition well and has preferences on when and what to use for faster healing and recovery. Post operative care and management depends on the type of surgery performed and the technique used during surgery among other factors.It is best, however, that you follow your plastic surgeon's advice on post operative care management for a smooth and faster healing and recovery.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Liposuction is a surgical procedure, and the body’s healing process primarily depends on factors like individual health, the extent of the procedure, and post-operative care. However, there are some general approaches that can potentially promote faster healing after liposuction:
1. Follow post-operative instructions: Adhering to your surgeon’s recommendations for post-operative care, such as wearing compression garments and taking prescribed medications, can aid in healing.2. Healthy lifestyle: Maintaining a healthy diet, staying hydrated, and avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can support your body’s natural healing processes.3. Gentle activity: Engaging in light physical activity as advised by your surgeon can help improve blood circulation and reduce the risk of blood clots.4. Lymphatic massage: Some individuals opt for lymphatic massage therapy to reduce swelling and promote lymphatic drainage, which may aid in healing.5. Nutritional supplements: Consult your surgeon about supplements like vitamin C and zinc, which may support tissue repair.
It’s crucial to discuss these options with your surgeon, as they can provide personalized guidance based on your specific case. Healing times can vary, and it’s essential to be patient and prioritize your well-being during recovery.

It can be difficult to describe recovery as it does vary by patient. The extent of surgery performed and the technique of the surgeon also influence the patient's recovery. Typically for liposuction patients the first few days are the worst and most can return to a non physically demanding job after about a week. Full recovery will obviously take longer than that. Compression is helpful as is lymphatic massage in controlling swelling and helping the tissues to heal. I encourage you to closely follow your surgeon's instructions for optimal results.

If there was some thing we could do to make the overall surgical experience better we would all be doing it. In other words we’re doing the best we can and recovery is recovery.
The intensity of a liposuction recovery primarily depends on how aggressive the procedure is done. The type of equipment used makes no difference. if the surgeon is heavy-handed in order to get as much fat as possible out you’re going to feel it afterwards.
There is also quite a bit of variance in how people describe the recovery. Most people say it feels like The worst workout pain they’ve ever experienced. It tends to be significantly uncomfortable for the first three days after that it gets better on a daily basis. By a week people may have sore spots when doing certain activities but the pain should not be limiting to the point where patients cannot deal with daily activities. I tell most patients to take three days off work five days would be nice.
The nursing staff in our clinic take one day off after Liposuction and then come back to work.
The key with Liposuction is finding a sufficiently talented and experienced provider. Results are all over the place simply based on a Normas variation in skill and talent with this procedure.
Far too many plastic surgeons don’t take liposuction seriously and never really learn how to do it. The best analogy is a four year old drawing with crayons which is what some of the results look like I see you posted on this website.
If you’re happy with the results of your provider other than recovery then go back and have him finish the backside. I’m not sure why they didn’t didn’t do it in one session. Generally the two limitations they can limit how much Liposuction is done is not removing more than 5 L of fat in one operation in which case the person really needed to lose some weight before surgery. The second reason is limiting the amount of local anesthesia when procedures are done with patients awake.
I recommend all patients have multiple in person consultations before choosing providers for Liposuction. during consultations ask each provider to show their entire collection of before and after pictures. Being shown a few sample pictures most likely representing the best results of the providers career is insufficient to get a clear understanding of what average results look like in the hands of each provider. An experience provider should have no difficulty showing you at least 50 sets of before and after pictures. ask providers to specifically show you pictures of other patients with similar body characteristics to your own.
Since you mentioned having chest liposuction I’m assuming that you are a male patient. my experience has been that love handles in men do not respond nearly as well as they do for women and this is especially true for men over the age of 35 or anyone who has had any significant weight fluctuations.
It’s also important to not bring in the waist because that feminizes the body contour.
On male patients are usually liposuction the under arm area all the way up into the armpit to give strong definition between the pectoralis muscle and latissimus muscle. that is also pretty common when chest liposuction is done.
Taking ibuprofen on a regular basis and stretching gently into the pain during early recovery seems to be what helps patients the most.
Most patients say it’s worse in the morning when they wake up and gradually gets better as they get moving.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom MD