Swelling After Liposuction -3 Days Post-Op?

Hello Craig1980,

First off, take a deep breath and remind yourself that your surgery was only 3 days ago- a lot of healing is yet to come, as you know.

TIPS FOR YOU:

1.  plan on about 2 weeks until you see a significant improvement in your swelling... 4.8 liters out of your body will create a lot of reaction in your body

2.  all swelling travels "south."  By that I mean that gravity will push all of that extra fluid downward from your chest, upper abdomen to your lower abdomen and also into your groin and scrotum.  So, it is not unusual to see your lower abdomen looking fuller than your upper abdomen.

3.  a compression garment and massaging will help moderate the swelling and can help you to feel more comfortable.  Some men will elevate the scrotum to help with swelling as well.

4.  the belly button is like an anchor separating your upper abdomen from your lower abdomen.  Once the belly fat is reduced, there can be some skin laxity noted as a crease above the belly button or at the level of the belly button or in both places.  Massaging will encourage the skin to 'tighten' up as much as it can and also will help with remodeling the residual fat to maximize your shape, reduce creases and improve your contour.

For all of these reasons, it is probably too early to determine what your final outcome will be.  Expect about 9 months to pass until you see the the end point.

Thanks for asking!  Dr Ellen

Pain, assymetry and swelling is not uncommon only 3 days out. The question is to what degree each is occuring. Time is the answer and expect to swell more before it gets better.