Recovery after Liposuction depends on the extent of procedure, the area treated and the quantum of anesthesia applied.
There will be considerable bruising and swelling around the treated area which in extreme cases can last up to six months.
There may also be a certain degree of numbness lasting from six to eight weeks. The surgeon will prescribe medication to reduce any pain or swelling.
Recovery period depends on the extent of liposuction you have, that is the size of the treated area and whether it is done under general anesthesia.
It normally takes about 6 to 8 months to get into the pre-surgery state of health.
Depending on the amount of fat removed and location – like the flanks – healing can start to hurt after the anesthesia wears off.
There is definitely going to be swelling for bit but you have to keep monitoring it as it could be a sign of infection.
Taking your prescription antibiotics and ibuprofen for swelling can help subside the pain. Make sure to wear your liposuction compression garment for a number of weeks post op. They are really important to keep your skin compressed and in the shape you want to be in.
Make sure to drink plenty of water and follow the doctors instructions! Anytime you are getting any kind of surgery, the possibility of pain is there, just make sure you have your recovery station ready with pillows, your lipo compression garment and anything else you think you might need.
Liposuction recovery patient reviews
– I am female, 44, with a small frame size 2-4, 126 lb and 5’4. However, after I turned 40 that was it, the love handles (flanks) and lower abdomen (belly) would not go away, even if I starve myself. Hence, decided to go for a liposuction on October 2016. It was the best decision of my life. Doctors removed about 3lb of fat/water from my lower abd ,flanks and a bit from upper abd.
I decided to tell all of you my experience post-op:
– Day 1: I feel good (but is only temporarily – anesthesia effect). Taking antibiotics for 5/6 days.
– Day 2-5: Pain, discomfort and those damn garments ugh… but don’t worry it only gets better.
– Day 6-9: Less pain (but still pain) with discomfort and swollen. Don’t panic, apparently its normal. I was wearing my garments 23 hours/day. However on day 9 I couldn’t take anymore and decided to remove for a few hours every day (usually in the afternoon when I was resting in my bed or my couch). I felt like my body needed that break. It really worked for me. After a few days the swollen slowly went down.
– Day 10-20: Walking short distance around the block, going to Walgreens, starbucks, etc. I started with 30 min in the morning and 30 min in the afternoon, slowly adding more time. My advice: don’t go crazy, do only what your body can take.
-Day 21 and on- No more pain (just a little, tiny 😉 , went back to my “almost” normal routine, work, walk, out with friends, dinners, etc. NO GYM. I went back to the gym after 40 days and I was easy on the exercises. Some people wait 2 months. It depends how you feel.
I wore garments for around 20 hours/day for the first 6 weeks, then cut down to 12 hours/day, and finally stop wearing around week 10/11.
Today I weight 124 lb (only 2 lb less than before), however my body is way better. Overall I look great, flat stomach (priceless), I feel good, no regrets.
– I had lipo on my back, abdomen, hips, and thighs. The pain is terrible the first 5 days and so is the swelling but here where I live, Colombia, they URGE the patients to get post op massages (lymphatic), and THIS is what’s molded my body and really really helped the swelling. They hurt terribly. All the women that are there when I go, including myself, end up in tears, but trust me, they are really worth it. I was operated 3 weeks ago and im 8 sizes smaller and 18 pounds lighter!!!!! I’m VERY happy. Go for the massages!!!!!
– Its been 10days into my liposuction surgery on my Love handles, Abdomen and flanks. After 5 days or so, my swelling started to appear and I have swelled very fast. I’m getting a little concerned as my doctor advised me not to wear any compression garments and wonder if this is the reason.
– I am so swollen and sore on the 6th day post op I CANNOT wear the garment if I wanted to. Ir aggravates the swelling and I cannot stand to have anything touch the abdomen area not even the bed sheet. The skin is also extremelly itchy which I have been prescribed cream and oral syrup for. My skin feels like it is going to split, also quite a lot of bruising. I hope this swelling goes down within days as I am now housebound. I have diverticuli and feel it may be part of the problem as the tylenol 3 made me constipated. This is corrected now and I am on antibiotics.
– I am 4 days post op and i did lipo on my back, abdomen, and flanks, I fainted the first time I took off the compression garment. It was horrible. I can tell the difference even though I am super swollen. Im happy with the results so far but I can wait for the pain to go away.
– I’m 5 days post op from body jet lipo/laser and a brazilian butt lift (fat transfer). On day two, I looked amazing…then the swelling came. Pain also recurs in different areas that were treated in waves. The last few days, it’s been my upper arms that hurt. A few days ago, it was my hips and thighs. From what I’m reading this alternating pain from one area to another is pretty normal. I wear my compression garments 24/7 and I think it does help, but also like the feeling of support. My pubic area is swollen and bruised. Hydrocodone doesn’t seem to help with the pain very much. Getting comfortable to lay down is virtually impossible and changing positions in bed is pretty difficult too. Getting out of bed is a bit of an ordeal in the morning! I had my arms, upper/lower abs, lateral back and flanks done (love handles). To be honest, I’ve had little to no pain in my abdominal flank area. It’s my arms and butt that hurt the most. Had I only had my midsection treated, my recovery thus far would’ve been a piece of cake and I can see why so many people are told they can go back to work in few days. But to do everything I did in one session? I just don’t think it’s possible. I’m taking 10 days off to recup from this and think I’ll need every one of those days. Worth the pain? Absolutely. Even with compression garments on, clothes I haven’t been able to wear are fitting me LOOSE in the areas that previously appeared unsightly.
– I am day 5 and still petty much stay in bed all day. I get up to walk around and once I am up and going, it is not too bad. I’ve been off pain meds since day 3 but am extremely uncomfortable. I feel like a slight burning sensation when I stand up and sit down. I am going to take off the compression garment to take a shower tonight with help from my bf. any advice? I am nervous about taking it off and putting it back on. Also, I feel like others were so much farther along then me on day 5.
– I am 34 and had lipo on my flanks, lower abdomen, inner and outer thighs in March. I am 5 weeks post op and the pain has gone but I am sore in some areas especially my flanks. If I am very active in a day, I have a lot of swelling at night and am stiff and sore. The mornings are great though when there is no swelling and I can see the improvements. The first week was extremely difficult and I broke down in tears. I was not able to move around with ease until two weeks. I can finally wear jeans and sit without discomfort. I cannot wait to get back to running and yoga. I go in for my 5 week check up today and will see what the doctor says. So far I am happy with the visible results but unhappy with the swelling, soreness and length of recovery. I just want my body to feel normal and healthy again. I know it will be worth it and I just have to hang in there for a few more months. Here are some tips for recovery: ICE for 20 minutes, sleep with your legs propped up to avoid swelling, use Arnica Montana and Gel (really helped with pain and bruising), take Bromelain (really helped with swelling), drink LOTS of water, eat high protein low carb and low sodium, Pineapple juice is good for swelling, rest as much as possible.
– I had lipo sculpture May 18: inner thighs, lower ab, flanks, outer thighs, and breast implant replacement. I recovered really well. Bromelain, arnica, and lymphatic massages everyday for a week and a half 4 days post op (ok’d) by surgeon. Im now at one massage per week and I purchased a pulsating massager with different attachments which I do myself. My concern area is my abdomen because it swells on and off and gets the hard lumps-but one i massage, it feels better. I was told to wear giedle for at least a month but I pkan to wear it a bit more. After one more month I can exercise and that will help the loose inner thigh skin-its not hanging or anything, just needs toning. Good luck to all.
– I just had lipo in May and you will have swelling for awhile. It will go down. Sometimes even though my swelling is much less now I know if I over do I will swell. I wore my garment at least 6 weeks you can eat pineapple which helps and Arnica also.
– I had mine done on May 6th and it finally feels normal again. But I must say that I don’t think the cost was worth it. I just had it on my flanks and I feel that I still look thick in my waist. Its just where I always carried all of my weight. it looks better some days than others and I have been told that it takes up to six months for final results. Right now, if I’m not on a regimented eating plan and I have a few drinks or eat something salty it looks just like it did before lipo to me. But I thought the numbing was never going to stop as well and I had the exact same way of describing that feeling that your skin is being ripped apart. I don’t have to wear the garment anymore and I feel no pain. I wish you luck but to me it wasn’t really worth it , seeing my result in the mirror at 3 months. hopefully things will get better throughout the year. Good luck and know that this pain will be a distant memory at some point.
– I had upper/lower abdomen, hips, flanks, love handles and chin done 12 days ago. First 3-4 days were very uncomfortable, but I can’t call it pain. I did not need any painkillers post op, he gave me a shot of toradol (?) at the end of surgery and he said it would manage my pain for a couple days. It worked. The only time I really felt annoying discomfort was when I removed my garment to shower. I had an excellent PA do my procedure and I think expertise makes a big difference in keeping liposuction minimally invasive and recovery quick. I could go about my regular daily activites by day 3, but I was very careful to take it easy. I never have my garment off except to quickly wash it and shower. By day 9-10 I was feeling great, very little discomfort. I am surprised at how quickly the bruises healed and how good the recovery was.
– I had Nutational Infrasonic Liposuction (tickle lipo) on my upper/lower abdomen and flanks and slim lipo on my arms 13 days ago. The tickle lipo really did make me giggle during the procedure. I was awake with local anesthesia which was a must for me. I had no bruising from the tickle lip and I bruise easily but I had what I’ve read is a normal amount of swelling. I had draining for 3 days on all entry points except for the one between my buttocks. That lasted for 7 days. It’s not leaking now but still not 100% closed either. As you can imagine that area endures a lot of movement. I took one hydrocodone the first day. Tylenol the next two days and nothing since. I’ve been sore but no pain. The slim lipo, however, because of the heating element I guess, did give the feeling everyone says; ike road-rash or an internal sunburn. Still feeling that. I had surgery in the afternoon and was back at work the next morning. Computer job. I worked out day 2 and every other day since. I believe the type of lipo makes a big difference with recovery. If I’d had slim-lipo over all my areas I do not believe I would have recovered as quickly based on how my arms feel. My arms are the only place that showed bruising for 3-4 days 2 days after the procedure. They are “tight” but getting the skin tightening was the point of doing the slim lipo on the arms. The single most uncomfortable thing has been the compression garment on the arms. After much reading I stopped wearing it. I keep reading that 3-4 months will show about 80% of the results and final results will be evident anywhere from 6-12 months depending on how much was done. Mine was done just for sculpting so based on what I’m seeing I will see total results no later than 6 months. I’m super happy with my arms. It’s still early and the abs and flanks are showing all the things you read about that should resolve themselves by 6 months. A little lumpiness and hard areas. I massage them daily as recommended. I would do it again. I’m fit, eat right but never had a flat stomach and now in my 40’s I do. Super happy.
– I had lipo on my flanks and a little bit on my stomach at the beginning of September. I was up and about 3 days later, hardly any pain – it was just tender to touch and after 2 weeks I was able to wear my jeans again. I had to wear a compression garment for 6 weeks and that was the worst thing about the whole procedure. I am now so glad I had it done – no more muffin top. You will be fine and just remembered I had hardly any bruising. 2 1/2 months on I don’t feel any tenderness, have no lumps and it still looks great! Good luck 🙂
– I had a TT and lipo done on Tuesday and am still in so much pain I can barely stand for more than a few minutes at a time. I am so black and blue it’s unbelievable. I usually have a very high pain tolerance. I stopped taking any pain meds the day I had my two c-sections but this is kicking my butt. I spend most of my days sleeping in a recliner even though I know walking around a bit will heal me faster. I get extremely nauseous and throw up when I am on my feet.
– I must be a real sissy! Even though I had 2 natural child birth and a TT. This lipo is much more painful than I expected. I had flanks, abs and back. I am 6 wks out and so Tylenol soaked it is sad. I went and found the prescribed meds and took one. Finally some real relief. It feels like the skin is being ripped from the muscle. I look beautiful even with the swelling but feel horrible. I am going back to massages. I stopped garment a few days ago but will go back to night wear for a few weeks. This is VERY painful for me. I can not imagen what it must be like for working Mom’s!! I can’t really enjoy how I look because of how I feel……… I know patience..grrrr
– I am at 7 weeks post-lipo of flanks, thighs and knees. I’ve been surprised at how easy the recovery has been especially after reading some of the comments. I was diligent about wearing my garment 24/7 until 6 weeks–I think that helped with swelling and just felt better. I also started having lymphatic drainage massages which helped too–I did them about 3 weeks post a couple of times a week. I’m thrilled with what changes I’m seeing so far–clothes fit better and just look good. I still am numb in my flank area and anticipate being so for a couple of months or so. The other areas I can still feel if I push on them (so I don’t..lol) but it’s not a bad pain at all. I wish all of you the best and I’ll post in another month or two. This is something that I wish I had done years ago. Best wishes!
– Today is week 7 and I must admitt I do feel better. But very far from good. The feeling of skin pulling away from muscle is not as often and shorter in time but it is still a searing sharp pain especially after sitting OW!!!. I can tolerate longer walks and can do more housework (wahoo..not). Like I said I look super good flat belly, no love handles (bra roll) smooth back, square ass is gone (upper buttock bulge) and nice waist and am at my goal weight,as he removed 13 lbs. Numbness, some swelling, and pain are far from gone. I will appreciate it more when I can wear a sexy bra (still to tender to put anything binding on) and really enjoy being touched. Oh but one upside. Since my midriff is so much smaller and smoother by boobs look bigger..ha ha ha I got a twofer.
– Do: Have massages! Do: Wear garment for swelling I wore mine for 4 weeks. Do: Be prepared for the first 4 days because you will have the drainage and it is fairly scary. The kind of WTF have I done to my body?? scary. Do: Take your meds Do: Expect pain like skin tearing away from muscle ever time you move. BE PATIENT Let yourself imagin how awesome it will be. I had aggresive lipo of everything between my breast and hips and back plus inner upper thighs (lost 13 lbs ). It was the most pain I have ever felt and will not hold back on my experience. I have had three kids, 1 natural birth a tummy tuck and a wrenched back and other various pain. There is no pain like the lipo one it is relentless it was that way for over six weeks. I am now 4 months out and look out standing for sure. The pain is gone with the exceptional feeling of stinging pin points on my back (bra line) plus I am still numb on my hips. The swelling gone. Yes the results are beautiful I was a size pudgy 14 and now a smooth 10. Still eating as I did before and walking daily. I have a definded waistline and no bulges back and front. Since he also did the upper buttocks I now have my little bubble butt back. I am very pleased with the results and knowing it is permanet (workout and food healthy a must) I think it was money well spent. I am 65 and look like I did at 30. Will I have any other plastic surgery? Probably not the expense is substancial, the recovery difficult. Plus tummy tuck and lipo need no ‘touch ups’. My face will just have to age with my friends and family aging with me. My goal was not to look young it was to have the body I had more than 3/4 of my life (there was a time in my life durning that time I put on 40 lbs which became almost impossible to loose because of age. I did loose 25 lbs but looked saggy and fat deposits stayed, before procedure) . So I can wear whatever I want without under garments or loose clothes to hid the belly and back rolls. My skin looks normal but has some spots that are not smooth. My husband loves to run his hands up and down my waistline and I like to wear clothes and belts so show off. I can not imagin working and kids plus recovery. I tip my hat to those who can do it. I could barley function for myself for so many weeks add a job and cooking, housework and kids..whoa you guys are my heros. Recommed? Yes! but be aware of the endurance you will have to cope with.
– I had lipo yesterday on my hips, inner and outer thighs and inner knees. I’m just out of the hospital and actually feeling no pain but starting to faint every time I get up. This is really crazy because I’m not able to move around in the house, just sitting or laying. I haven’t taken any painkillers since they woke me up after the op, but I don’t think that’s normal since my pain tolerance is not this good, so…!? When does the pain start? When does the fainting stop? Can you give me any hint what to do about this constant dizziness? My doc said that it goes away if I drink enough, like 3-4 liters a day. And what about this garment??? :))) Does any of you ladies have a best practice how to use it on the toilet? I have to wear it constantly and have the type which has a hole in the middle!
– I am 5’5″ and i weighed 155 before the lipo. I had laser lipo 5 days ago on my upper/lower abs, and all around waist area. I was awake during the procedure with local anesthesia. Im not sure how much was removed, but i have my post op tomorrow and i will get more details to share. I had 7 small incisions all around that were left open for drainage. On the evening of my surgery i changed the pads from my incisions. 3 of the pads were full and the rest had minor drainage. I had bareable pain controled by tramadol. The following day i had plenty of rest and no swelling and very little pain. I changed my drainage pads to bandaids. My full time job is a police officer wearing approximately 15 – 20 pound duty belt. But, I’m on light duty for something else. I had surgery on a Friday and I returned to work Monday for a 12 hour shift sitting at a desk. I’ve been wearing my waist garment with the snaps at the crotch 24/7 since the surgery as indicated. By the middle of the day i was in pain, stiff, swollen and my elastic waist pants had engraved into my swollen waist. Im taking naproxen for the pain and inflamation and arnica to dissolve the bruising. I struggled to bend at the waist, it was all numb but painful (a feeling that seems very hard to explain) I got home after completing my shift, I was very swollen, I showered, washed my garment, dried it and put it back on. I noticed bruising in my groin area where the garment got so tight it basically cut off some circulation in the area. My skin has a burning sensation in some areas. I keep my garment on with the abdominal foam pad inside it and I put on the wrap over it. It is very uncomfortable but it feels better than with nothing on and overnight the swelling goes down. That was my first rough night, i barely 4 hours of sleep from pain and discomfort. I it was all repeated the next day except now I don’t need the band aids but my incisions are dry but look open. Luckily I have two days off to stay in bed and recover a bit. But then I go back and have to work 3 days in a row. I’m possibly going back to full duty in about 3 weeks and God help me I’m not looking forward to putting on that duty belt. I hope the swelling gets better by then. I did research before getting this done and its so hard to know how your body is going to react to certain things. But based on what doctors, reviews and articles say, it wouldn’t be a problem to return to work. I really did not expect it to be this bad. There are so many factors to consider that are easily overlooked and not mentioned. During my research, I never came across any help from someone in my profession who shared their recovery and I know there are many and not just lipo.
– Had flanks, hips, inner and outer thighs done yesterday by tumescent lipo. Left the clinic and went to lunch with my mom. Took my prescribed Vicodin once in the afternoon and once last night. I am tender to the touch but otherwise no pain. My worst complaint this morning was a headache and Tylenol took care of that. My body looks beat up with a lot of bruising but I don’t care. Even though I am supposed to have swelling, I already love the change. I am making a list in order of priority what areas to do next
– I had a tt, breast augmentation and lipo of the flanks and upper thighs 13 days ago. I am just now starting to feel better. My back is aching and my hips feel like I have a piece of twine wrapped around them so tight that I want to scream. I can not stand up straight because when I straighten upright my right thigh starts “screaming” with nerve pain from the lipo. I know this is going to be worth it, but Holy Moly, what a recovery period.
– I had Lipo on my Lower. Upper abdomen and flanks. With a fat transfer to the breast. Yes. I have alot of numbness. Swelling. Bruising. And just an uncomfortable feeling. I did not expect this. I dont know what I did expect but anyways im 7 days post op and still have all the symptoms I listed. Its not like dying bad because I have not taken anything for pain for 2 days. So I guess im ok. I thought it was a faster recovery based off things I read. (2-4 days down rime) But its much more. I can tell I have some time to go. Atleast another 3-4 weeks to be back comfortable. I didnt expect to end up writing a review on this part of my lipo and transfer. Anyways my breast went up about 2 cup sizes it seems. If not its for sure a FULL cup size. Hoping to retain all the fat. My stomach is flatter, yet so much swelling I cant say much for it yet. Ohhhh!! I cannot forget. That body garment hurt so bad!. I may have had a size too small but I hate wearing it. I will be looking into buying my own with more soft and body foam tight. Make sure to get the right size garment.
– I am 63, 5’2″ and 160 lbs. I had lipo on my upper and lower abdomen, back and chin/neck area last Thursday. I was awake during the procedure but very drugged up, even fell asleep at one point! The first 24 hours after were very uncomfortable due to drainage which the doctor had warned me about. The recovery for me has been more difficult than I expected; I thought I could go back to work after the weekend but I’m still very swollen, bruised and generally uncomfortable. However, when I went to the doctor yesterday she showed me before and after photos and I’d have to say there are some changes for the positive. I’m also wearing a compression garment 24/7 which I hate and is somewhat painful but from what I’ve read and heard it is a necessary evil. I do see that my legs are thinner (an unexpected bonus) and I have more of a shape than I had. I had lost 25 lbs. before the procedure and I intend to lose at least 25 more with careful eating and exercise over the next 3-4 months. Will keep you posted on my progress. I will say this, though — at this point I feel that I would never go through this again, but from what my friends are telling me I will feel differently in a few weeks. My doctor also recommended massages, which I start going for tomorrow………… It is now the 14th day after lipo of the abdomen, back and chin/neck area. As I’ve mentioned already, I am 63, 5’2″ and 160 lbs. I think it’s important to mention those stats as i’m sure a 63-YO has a longer recovery than a 37-YO. Most of my bruising is gone, which i credit to taking Bromelain religiously (look it up — it is great for post-recovery. I had been doing well but yesterday I felt that my garment was squeezing me so hard that it hurt. As if I was swelling up. I switched to a slightly less rigid garment and felt better, but then I put my regular garment on and it feels fine, almost getting loose. Could that have been some kind of delayed reaction to the procedure? At any rate, I am starting to feel better though still pretty swollen and still some pain on my stomach and my chin is still pretty numb. However, people who haven’t seen me in a while are telling me I look great, so that’s a plus even if I don’t see it as much. Still have a long way to go as far as recovery and losing more weight, but I’m starting to be a little more comfortable with the results. First few days recovery I was wondering what i had gotten myself into! I’ll post photos at some point, before and after, so you can judge for yourself. I also am afraid to get on the scale because I have been eating very cautiously and should be losing some weight but will be disappointed if I haven’t.
– Had lipo to abdomen, flanks and and arm ( think I might regret this bit as seriuosly worried about sagging skin) had procedure done in Thailand and it was frightening not knowing what was happening. Had a catheter which I did not have when I had the similar procedure done 7 years ago. But it was a blessing as I didn’t have to get up to wee. Very uncomfortable for first 30 hours and I’m so bloated all over. I can’t even make out my knees now which is embarrassing as I only have shorts for the last week of my holiday in Thailand!!!! Scared about the flight home with all this swelling! Think I should have done the procedure back in nz as did not have the swelling like this. Also regret not getting my jowls done. Fingers crossed I can see my knees again soon