Ab Board Necessary? How long should I wear it for? It's bulky, annoying to wear and makes putting on faja hard.

Hello trini4uu,
Congratulations on your recent liposuction procedure! Plastic surgeons have different post-operative protocols, customized for every patient, to achieve the best results. I typically instruct my patients wearing a specialized compression garment along with a waist foam corset around the clock (except for showering). The waist foam corset will be worn up to 8 weeks after surgery, while the compression garment will be worn up to 6 months. Wearing these compression garments as directed reduce the likelihood of loose or sagging skin and contour irregularities after Liposuction. Compression garments will also minimize bleeding, swelling, seroma occurrence, and will accelerate your healing time. These should be snug but not uncomfortably tight. If they feel too tight you may loosen them periodically. Besides, compression garments may dry your skin, so you can use moisturizer lotions to hydrate the area (such as vitamin E). Since every case is different, I would recommend you consulting with your plastic surgeon about what kind of garment/corset/board better suits your needs. Hope this is helpful! Dr. De La Cruz.  

Congratulations on your recent surgery! This question is best answered by your surgeon as she/he is most familiar with the details of your surgery and how you've been progressing through recovery. Compression is beneficial after liposuction to help minimize swelling as well as provide support to the tissues as they heal. Your surgeon will advise if it is necessary to have the ab board in place the entire time the compression garment is worn.

Dear trini4uu,every plastic surgeon has his own postoperative protocol which he recommends to his patients. I would suggest you to discuss this with your plastic surgeon.Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Surgeons often have different opinions so it's probably best if you discuss this with your own surgeon but I've frankly never heard of an ab board so my honest opinion would be that it's not necessary at all. Each of us have their patients do different things after surgery to get the best results so you should follow your own surgeon's instructions regardless of what any of us say online here. Hope that helps! 

I recommend following up with your Doctor about their protocol regarding compression. I have my patients wear compression for 3-6 weeks straight then overnight for 3-6 months after their procedure. For liposuction after care, I recommend adding hyperbaric oxygen and lymphatic massage along with your compression to help decrease swelling. To improve your final results, I also recommend adding vanquish for further fat removal, exilis/venus legacy for skin tightening, cellutone/z wave to make the skin smooth, remove scar tissue, and improve the skin’s appearance. Best, Dr. Emer

Trini,Every Plastic Surgeon has their own instructions.  I do not use the abdominal board.  I do use a faja for 30 days post BBL procedure.Good luck with your continued recovery.Dr T