Skin Reattachment/tightening After Lipo?

After conventional or tumescent liposuction, the skin needs a period of time to heal and "reattach" to the deeper tissues.  I have found that the skin is in pretty good shape at 4 weeks postop, but will gain even more strength by 6 - 8 weeks. 

 

In our practice, we keep our patients in fitted pressure garments for 3 - 4 weeks or longer, depending on the skin tone of the patient prior to surgery.  Once the 3 - 4 weeks have passed, we transition patients to more comfortable "Spanx" type garments (body support garments available at department stores) for another 4 weeks or so.

 

I feel that it is important to not exercise for at least 4 weeks or so after major liposuction as to not loosen the healing skin.

 

 

   The skin can tighten after liposuction as the swelling continues to resolve.  Compression is recommended for 4 to 6 weeks during this phase.  At 3 to 6 months, much of the healing is over.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

The skin swelling commonly seen after liposuction continues to improve for 6 months or more after surgery. Most patients see a significant improvement in their shape within the 1st month though. 

Good morning Danielle. Everything said & done skin retraction post lipo is pretty subjective. Usually visible skin retraction takes approximately 2-4 weeks and gets better & better over the 4-6 months following the procedure.

In our practice we advise the patients to wear the pressure garments for a month 24x7; and for another month through 12 hours of their choosing; depending on the weather conditions & the comfort of the patient.

 

Liposuction is a procedure that removes fat from the body by suctioning it out. Liposuction typically takes less than an hour to complete, but the procedure can take up to three hours if your surgeon is removing large volumes of fat. Skin reattachment (also known as "redraping") can take anywhere from four weeks to six months depending on how much fat was removed and how much skin remains. It may take up to three months for skin tightness after lipo to fully return.