True Weight After Lipo? How Much of My Weight is Actually Swelling?

Question

I am post liposuction 6 days(YAY!).I weighed myself the morning of my surgery & I was 136.6 lbs.I know from much research & conversations with my doctor that lipo doesn't cause much weight loss.Now I'm so swollen I have no idea WHAT my true weight is.When I stepped on the scale this morning, it had me at 141.6 lbs, exactly 5 lbs MORE than my pre-surgery weight.I'm thinking this is due to the massive amount of swelling in both my thighs?? How much WEIGHT is on me due this swelling? Thanks! :)

Jeffrey J. Roth, MD, FACS · Answer

The body's response to trauma is to retain water. Liposuction is a surgical event that the body perceives as a traumatic event. When you take fat or tissue away, you will have a weight increase after surgery. This usually will resolve itself in a few weeks. Fat does not weigh as much as bone or muscle. You may look thinner after liposuction, while the scale may not change in a big way. Remember to wear your compression garments and do those things post operatively that your Plastic Surgeon tells you to do for the best results.

Alex Campbell, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question. Healing after liposuction is usually pretty straight forward.  There is a process of swelling and bruising that peaks at 3 days after surgery and then undergoes the first stage of major resolution in the first 2 weeks after surgery.  The lateer phase of healing takes place over the 2-3 months after surgery where everything really settles and softens.  It is after this time that we are getting close to the final result, though this varies patient to patient.

David Hansen, MD · Answer

After lipo you swell for 4 days then stay there for a week.  That is why we start massaging and exercising after 1 week to help that swelling go down quicker.  At 1 month you will see a big improvement.  After 2 months you should be down a pound or 2.  At 6 months hopefully your weight will be down 10 pounds from diet and exercise as well.

Derby Sang Caputo, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. It is common to increase weight in the first days/wekks after surgery because of the overall swelling. No worries , just wear your post op garter, do your massages and drink lots of water. The swelling will reduce in the next weeks. Best of luck

Karl William Schwarz, MD · Answer

Totally normal! Your bodies natural response to injury--and your body doesn't know this was an elective, cosmetic procedure--is to swell in order to heal. And this is a bigger injury so you will swell quite a bit--all normal. Your weight will go below your pre-lipo weight in a few weeks. Nothing to take and nothing to do but just give your body time to heal.Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, Florida Medical Association

Ronald Levine, MD · Answer

You'd benefit from not weighing yourself for a few weeks after surgery, because swelling can really add to your weight. At most, you'll have lost a couple of pounds from surgery, so that 5 pounds extra is probably swelling. Although you could also ask your surgeon about how much they removed.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

Usually patients gain weight after srugery. Most of that is water weight that the body accumulates as a repsonse to the surgery. This usually takes a few weeks to resolve.

Steven Turkeltaub, MD · Answer

At this point, it would be impossible to accurate assess what part of your weight is due to swelling versus other causes. It can take up to several weeks for much of this fluid weight to resolve - some from the swelling and some from the IV fluid given to you during surgery. In the meantime - stay somewhat active but within the parameters as given to you by your surgeon, avoid overindulging and stay off the scale.

Peter A. Aldea, MD · Answer

Great question. As you know from life experience, every injury results in swelling. If you played active sports you know that in most cases the fall or hit at first are not as painful as what happens afterward. In its effort to repair the injury, the body's lymphatics leak fluid and inflammatory cells which through a complex process remove dead cells and reconstruct new tissues. The inflammatory process lasts several weeks to months and the swelling WILL gradually diminish.

	You should ask your surgeon how much fat he removed. I often photograph the canisters with the fat and show it to my patients to let them see what was lost. If you watch your diet and remain active your weight WILL dip below your starting 137 pound point. Convert the amount in milliliters of supernatant (floating) fat removed by your surgeon to pounds and you will get your answer.

	Peter A Aldea, MD

Remus Repta, MD · Answer

Hello,

	Fat weighs about 6-7 lbs per gallon or about 1.8 lbs per liter.  Therefore if your plastic surgeon took out about 4 liters of actual fat (not fat and tumescent) then after your swelling subsides you should weigh less by the amount of liters of fat removed x 1.8 pounds.  Of course, if you gain or loose weight in the interim period that you are waiting for your swelling to decrease then that number will change accordingly.

	Most important of all, you should look at liposuction as a body contouring procedure not as a weight loss procedure.

	All the best,

	Remus

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