Can I Remove Compression Garment For a Few Hours per Day?

When Can I remove the compression garment for a few hours per day - for my patients the answer is after the first post operative day when ever you feel you have to. How long does a #CompressionGarment need to be worn to help after #Liposuction? For most, my patients wear garments for 3 wks day and night then 3 additional weeks for half a day.If you have had suction of the knees, thigh, or abdomen, the doctor will have put on a compression garment at the end of the surgery. The extra pressure this garment provides helps reduce swelling and discomfort. You should not remove this garment at all until the second or third day after surgery. After that, feel free to remove the garment temporarily for laundering. We want you to have circumferential pressure for 4-6 weeks, but you may switch to an exercise garment (Lycra or Spandex) whenever it feels comfortable to slip it on or off, as you will have to do so in order to go to the bathroom. See the below link for a more fuller explanation and general advice.

Some surgeons recommend wearing the garment day and night for a month, so to get a better answer to your question you should ask your surgeon. 11 days is a little early, in my opinion, and you may find that it significantly slows your recovery rate by increasing your swelling. 

Studies have not been peformed in such detail to determine the exact number of hours or days that compression garments are needed to provide a better result, if they in fact, provide a better result. They may quicken the time needed to see the eventual great result and they may minimize bruising, hematomas and seromas.  The protocol of wearing a compression garment differs depending on with which surgeon you speak. I like my patients to wear it for up to 2 to 4 weeks 24 hours per day except for showering, and then half day for the another two weeks.  Ask your surgeon, the one who examined you and performed your surgery, to guide you in your post operative period.

I generally recommend that patients wear their compression garments for at elast 4 weeks following liposuction.  The more hours per day compression is applied, the better.  However, I am aware that this compression is often interrupted by showering, etc.  To take a break from the compression will not likely have any long term consequences.  But check with your doc.  Every doctor does things a little differently.  Good luck!

After liposuction, it is always a good idea to wear sometight compression for at least six weeks.  This helps decrease the swelling faster and help retrain to skin to tighten up over time.  However, it is almost impossible to wear tight compression 24h a day.  Taking a break for a few hours here and there is not going to alter your results in any way except maybe make it a little longer before you see the final results.  I generally ask my patients to wear it as much as they can the first 6 weeks and to be patient - it can take that long or longer to see the final results.  I hope this helps. 

Yes absolutely, you can take a break from the garment, to wash it and dry, however it will be better to leave it on as long as you can for the fist 2 weeks as it helps with swelling.

In my practice, compression garments for liposuction of the abdomen, flanks and back are worn for a total of 2 months. Most of the time for the first 4 weeks and then about 12 hours a day for the next 4 weeks. In the first month, you could take off the garment for an hour at a time to wash it or to take a shower. You could also take it off for a little while if you feel extreme discomfort. Every surgeon has his or her unique instructions for the compression garment that works for them. I recommend you discuss this with your cosmetic surgeon. Best of Luck and Happy Healing. 

Some people heal quickly and don't swell much, others take longer. There is no real standard. My own routine is as follows:


Starting at 10 days to two weeks, patients begin to go without the garment for an hour or two a day at first. If it is too early, then swelling occurs that can take up to the next day to appear, so move ahead slowly. 

If there is an increase in swelling, then you are not ready to start weaning from the garment. WAIT.

If no swelling is noted, continue with 1 to 2 hours out of the garment for 3 days. Then double the amount of time out of the garment. The same rules as above apply.

I suggest making a change no more often than every 3 days. That way your body becomes accustomed to the lack of compression. 

The compression garments are important to control swelling and improve comfort after liposuction. Our patients will wear the garment 24/7 for the first two weeks except for showering. Your surgeon may permit you to be out of the garment, though we find patients have a more difficult time getting them back on until the first two weeks have passed. You are close and the garment will become by the end of the 14 days.
Best of luck,
peterejohnsonmd

I like my patients to wear a compression garment after liposuction almost 23 hours a day except for showering for the first 3-6 weeks. If it is uncomfortable it is probably ok to remvoe for a few hours. You should ask your doctor.