Upper Arm Lipo Recovery: Normal?

Question

I had upper arm lipo 7 days ago. Is it normal to still be swollen? Also, my right arm is much more bruised and hurts much more than my left. Does this mean anything? I've been taking Advil to help with the swelling but am afraid to take too much. The nurse told me I could take up to 800mg. Should I take that for swelling purposes even if I can handle the pain without it? I go back to work on Monday and thought I'd be feeling better than I do now so I'm just a little worried. Thanks for any help!

Keith Denkler, MD · Answer

Early swelling in the first few weeks is common after liposuction.  In addition, there can be differences in bruising and pain between the sides.Maximum medical dose of Advil is 4 or 800 mg. It is a lot and you need to drink a lot of water with it as Advil is hard on the kidneys. Watch out for the maximum dose of 2,400 a day. All of this should be short term.  The swelling goes down better with wearing a liposuction garment, and not medications.

Tania Medina de Garcia, MD · Answer

Hello dear, thanks for your post. 7 days post is very early in the recovery process, and while your body swelling may be going down, your arms are probably still swollen. It is common after any liposuction procedure to be the same size or even bigger than you were before surgery due to swelling. You will experience on and off swelling for the next months. -Swelling after an arm lift (brachioplasty) is expected, with most of the swelling resolving by 3 months after the procedure. -However, some patients, will have continued swelling beyond 3 months that can be annoying.-It is likely that over the course of another 3-6 months, this swelling will resolve completely. I realize it's hard to be patient for the swelling to resolve, but time, more than any other therapy, will allow the swelling to improve.-Thanks for sharing! Good luck :)

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

In general, liposuction swelling persists for most people for several months.  Advil may cause more bruising as well.  Best to review care with your surgeon.

Upper Arm Lipo Recovery: Normal?

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Upper Arm Lipo Recovery: Normal?

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Everything you need to know about Liposuction

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