Liposuction: Info, Prices, Photos, Reviews, Q&A

The one your chosen surgeon recommends! If I told you to buy XYZ garment than your surgeon wants ABC garment , you wasted your time and $. (Darryl J. Blinski, MD, Miami Plastic Surgeon)

Your PS office should provide you with a compression garnment. If they didn’t and you are buying it on your own you should call them and depending on your measurements, figure out the size and if you need a long or a short one.

Make sure you get this before your procedure.(Otto Joseph Placik, MD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)

Doctors differ in their opinions. I have been doing various forms of liposuction for more than 20 years and I have never used compression garments. I learned this from colleagues in Latin America.

I do use thin cotton elastic garments such as Spanx or Underarmour to keep tissue warm so that it heals faster and more comfortably. (Edward Lack, MD, Chicago Dermatologist)

I provide two compression garments in each post-operative kit for each of my patients. I encourage them to wear the garment day and night only removing to shower for the first two weeks followed by 12 hours a day for the next two weeks.

Compression is utilized following liposuction to help control swelling and provide comfort and support during recovery. I have had many patients question if they are able to utilize spanx as well which I am always happy to say yes.

The most important aspect of your garment is to make sure you are achieving compression without being uncomfortable. It is possible for your garment to be too restrictive. (Ronald Downs, MD, FACS, South Bend Plastic Surgeon)

Can You Wear Spanx Power Short Instead Of Compression Garments After Liposuction Surgery

Garments for Body Contouring

You should get your compression garments from your plastic surgeon. Once your surgery is scheduled you should get measured and your garments ordered.

The office will advise you as to how and how long to use them. (Earl Stephenson, Jr., MD, DDS, FACS, Atlanta Plastic Surgeon)

You definitely want to ask your Plastic Surgeon.

There are a variety of companies that offer compression garments. Marena group comes to mind (NOT an endorsement!) but there are several others. Regardless you definitely want to talk to your doctor about what kind of garment.

Your surgeon should help guide you as to what kind of garment to get, and can guide you much better. (Vineet Mehan, MD, Washington DC Plastic Surgeon)

Ask your plastic surgeon which garment he/she recommends for you. There are several companies that manufacture garments of different sizes and shapes for liposuction of different regions of the body. I usually have my patients wear their garments for six weeks post-op.

This is a very important aspect of the recovery from liposuction and can greatly impact the final results.(Paul Fortes, MD, Houston Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction Recovery Using Compression Garments or Spanx?

Compression garments are medically designed and tested to provide the optimal amount of compression therapy to the body following liposuction surgery. Not all elastic garments are of the same quality or are capable of providing the proper amount of compression to achieve the best results post-liposuction.

I usually recommend that my patients stick with the medical grade garment at least for the first six weeks (if not longer) before switching to a non-medical grade garment. I believe that the recovery and the results can be optimized with this approach. However, always keep close follow-up with your own plastic surgeon, and follow his/her advice throughout the course of your recovery. (Paul Fortes, MD, Houston Plastic Surgeon)

Choosing a compression garment after liposuction

More important than the type of compression garment vs. spanx issue is compliance. I would advise you to choose a garment or pair of spanx that you feel comfortable wearing for 3 to 4 weeks. (Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS, Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon)

I usually prescribe compression garments but some of my patients use Spanx.

I feel that the results are similar in both cases. Furthermore, the garment should be able to extend above and below the liposuction site.

When I do localized liposuction (one or two areas), I will always recommend a garment. However, when I do a lot of liposuction, I tend to avoid garments altogether. The reason is that bunching is very hard to control with a very large garment. (Sirish Maddali, MD, Portland Plastic Surgeon)

Don’t go cheap! Your garments are very important. My practice is to request using garments for 3 months!

The garments are very important to your final result. I use a company called Isavella. They have a variety of sizes and categories.

Also…..order a new garment if your garment is not firm! You must have a consistent and firm compression for three months. (Paul C. Dillon, MD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)

I prefer that my patients wear the traditional surgical garment for 1-2 weeks after surgery. I fine that they are much easier to get in and out of with the least disruption to the surgical area.

After that I allowing switching into a compression garment of the patients choice such as Spanx or exercise shorts. Wearing some type of compression garment is very helpful for initial swelling following surgery. (Michael S. Birndorf, MD, Milwaukee Plastic Surgeon)

I think Spanx can be excellent post-operative compression garments for some patients. A lot will depend upon where you had the liposuction and how much compression is required to make you comfortable. The bottom line is that if you are comfortable in Spanx after liposuction, they are probably providing adequate compression. (Samir S. Rao, MD, Chevy Chase Plastic Surgeon)

Each surgeon will have his or her postoperative guidelines. My preference is to use a compression garment that properly fits the patient and is designed properly for the type and scope of surgery. Consult your surgeon as he or she knows the scope of surgery and the specifics about you. (Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS, West Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon)

We always send our patients home in a compression garment post liposuction surgery. We also recommend that the patients continue to wear some type of compression garment for the next several months following their surgery.

That being said, it does not have to be any specific type or brand of garment. As long as it is providing support for the area that was treated, I am sure it is fine. (Lawrence Bundrick, MD, Huntsville Plastic Surgeon)

You should choose your first garment before surgery and make sure it fits snugly. After some of your swelling goes down in the first couple of weeks, over the counter spanx garments can be used as long as they fit snuggly and cover the treated areas smoothly.

I often find my patient use spanx type garments more regularly because they seem to be more comfortable and functional. The most expensive custom-fit garment is of no use if you don’t wear it. (Jeffrey D. Wagner, MD, Indianapolis Plastic Surgeon)

Compression garments are specifically made for post surgical procedures and help shape and smooth out the surgical areas. The appropriate sized compression garment is preferred to achieve the best results.

These can be specific surgical compression garments or Spanx, which the patient will find more comfortable and encourage consistent and continued use. (Jeffrey Weinzweig, MD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)

After liposuction, I believe it is very helpful to have some kind of external compression to help shape the areas of liposuction and reduce swelling and bruising. I feel that store bought compression garments such as Spanx and other similar brands can be very helpful as long as the entire area of the liposuction is covered.

For example, if patients have liposuction of the thighs and love handles I would normally recommend that they purchase compression garment such as Spanx that start at the knees and ease up to the lower part of the breast.

The most important thing is that the garment is snug enough to create a feeling of support, but not so tight as to dig into the skin or cause discomfort. I feel Spanx are in many cases a better garment choice than some of the surgical garments as they fit nicely under the patient’s clothes and are less noticeable.

I always recommend that patients try on Spanx or other similar garments before surgery to make sure they fit comfortably before there is any surgical discomfort. (Robert Cohen, MD, Santa Monica Plastic Surgeon)

Spanx if properly fit are a wonderful compression garment following liposuction. Most people think they need to tightly compress the tissues after liposuction. In actual fact, this cuts off the circulation to the tissues and impairs healing.

It is better to have a garment which applies gentle, even compression over the entire treated field. Avoidance of elastic indentation marks is key as those indentations can become permanent. I tell my patients that following liposuction, the scar tissue it is like cement drying under the skin.

You must avoid indentations caused by pressure garments which might leave a permanent mark. (Gilbert Lee, MD, San Diego Plastic Surgeon)