Can I still have a positive outcome if I'm giving up entirely on my compression garment after one week?

Each patient who has WAL lipo is unique; therefore, results of treatment may vary. Swelling after WAL lipo is typically less than with tumescent lipo. Recommend that you follow up with your PS immediately to determine the type compression garment (yours may be too tight) and length of wear. Kenneth Hughes, MD, ABPS Board Certified Plastic SurgeonLos Angeles, CA

Dear K.angel,
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

Hello dear!!
Thanks for the question and provided information as well.
Each doctor has their own protocol It is very important that you talk to him and follow his instructions.
I suggest my patients to try the lymphatic massages and to use a full body compression garment, 24/7 for the first 3 months, and after that, for 12 hours a day for 3 more months, to get the best results.
It is important for the compression garment to be very tight, for it to help with the swelling, after surgery.
If you have any concerns, please follow up close with your plastic surgeon.
Good luck :)

Your frustration with post liposuction bruising, soreness, and swelling is common. Don't give up on your garments just yet though for full leg liposuction from the ankles up causes much more, and longer swelling than just thigh and knee liposuction. While garments don't inherently change the final result they do control early swelling, and decrease some bruising so you recover quicker and look better sooner. The key for you is to use some mild compression stockings or socks under the garment so you don't get a constriction band at the ankles that make your feet swell. Give them at least another week, and check in with your surgeon incase they want you to be more aggressive with the garments for they know how much fat they removed and how much bruising to expect. Best wishes on an awesome result.

several important topics. Personally I don't believe the compression garments are nearly as important as they're made out to me. I don't think they change final results. There is little to no scientific evidence supporting the use of these but they're considered the standard of care and we do use them in our practice.  That said, liposuction especially of the calves and ankles causes extended swelling.  This area is drastically different from other anatomic areas. Both in regards to how difficult it is to treat and secondly what the recovery is like.  I do calf and ankle liposuction about once a year.  It ends up being one out of 400 cases.  In total I've done this procedure less than 10 times.  I tell my patients swelling can take three times longer for this procedure than liposuction on other areas.  Gravity makes everything go down so expect swelling of your feet and ankles for a long period of time.  I saw one of my patients who had calf and ankle liposuction a few weeks ago.  She was very happy with her results. She did tell me it took you two months before the swelling became manageable.  We use compression stockings.  I wish I remember the brand she recommended but they were around $20 from Amazon.  When getting compression socks you need to be careful taking measurements.  Leg elevations are also super helpful.  Proper leg elevations means the foot needs to be above the heart. Sitting with your legs stretched out is not an ankle elevation since The foot is still below the heart  Liposuction especially around the ankles is technically difficult complex contour anatomy that is challenging.  It's really really hard to get results without any contour irregularities.  Unless someone has really thick fat layers in this area it's a procedure that should be considered skipped.  Overall I believe most of the cases I've done had fairly good outcomes with patients saying they would recommend the procedure but I've been told to warn future patients about she was not fitting comfortably and lengthy recovery's.  Another option is ace wrap. These are nice because you control how much pressure and you can start the pressure on the foot.  The pressure from Ace wrap builds up with each wrap and people sometimes make them too tight until they get used to them.  The bottom line is if the procedure was done with technical precision and correctly then your results will follow but the final results will take 6 to 9 months.  In my opinion you're not losing anything significant other than temporary swelling by not using compression garments.  Hopefully your provider did a good job for you. Best, Mats Hagstrom MD