When Does Pain Subside After Liposuction?

Pain and swelling are often a function of post-operative strategies. I practice a 24-hour recovery program where my liposuction patients get in a hot shower several hours after their surgery and perform specific stretching exercises for 10 minutes every hour when they’re awake.

This and the avoidance of narcotic pain medication has gotten our patients to feel great and back to work in as little as a day or two after their surgery. We are focused on our 24-hour recovery program in all aspects of surgery in our Clinic. (Marshall T. Partington, MD, FACS, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)

The first phase of healing will take up to six weeks for the swelling to resolved. The next phase, skin retraction can take six months before the final result!. (Maria M. LoTempio, MD, FACS, New York Plastic Surgeon)

Swelling at this stage is normal and expected. Be patient, it will generally take 2-3 months for the majority of the swelling to subside. (Tyler Angelos, MD, Columbus Plastic Surgeon)

t is jot unusual to have pain and swelling at this point . You will find that these symptoms will progressively subside . It will take about three months for the majority of healing to talk place.

Much progress will occur during the first 3-4 weeks, and there will even be further subtle improvements up to 12 months postoperative. (Michael H. Wojtanowski, MD, Cleveland Plastic Surgeon)

Discomfort and swelling are completely normal following liposuction. The majority of the swelling will be gone in about 3-6 weeks. After 6 months you should have a good idea of the final outcome. (Jeffrey Weinzweig, MD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)

I advise patients that they may need a week to recover, depending on what area(s) were liposuctioned. Patients with physical jobs may need even longer. However, some patients with a small area liposuctioned can go back after a couple of days.

There is a wide variability in recovery depending on the patient, the number of areas treated, and the volume removed. (Heather J. Furnas, MD, Santa Rosa Plastic Surgeon)

The more fat removed and the more areas liposuctioned the greater the pain and recovery. Normal swelling lasts 6 months. Pain can last several weeks as well. Try Advil, massage, and heat. (Kurtis Martin, MD, Cincinnati Plastic Surgeon)

Most patients experience soreness over the first one to two weeks. Patients are commonly back at work after one week. Swelling improves dramatically over the first several weeks, but can take 6 to 9 months to resolve completely.

After the fat is removed from under the skin, the skin must contract to form a smooth contour. The skin retraction is slow and can take 6 to 12 months. So overall the final results of liposuction cannot be determined fully until one year after the procedure.

However, patients notice dramatic results within the first couple of months after surgery. (Austin Hayes, MD, Portland Plastic Surgeon)

Pain and swelling in the areas of liposuction are common at 5 days post-op. The discomfort will decrease quickly but the swelling is slow to diminish. Expect the swelling to be mostly gone by 3-4 months after surgery and what little remains will diminish over the next 1-2 months.

Therefore, I tell my patients to expect complete resolution of the swelling of the abdomen and love handles to occur by 4-6 months (John Zavell, MD, FACS, Toledo Plastic Surgeon)

Pain and swelling after liposuction are very normal. The pain which requires prescriptions will last for at least a week. With respect to swelling, you should only begin to see that your clothing fits better at the one month visit. After that time, when you start diet and exercise, you will see results that you have never been able to see before.

Typically by 3 months the are very nice contours, but the final results are not apparent until 6 months. (Gary Lawton, MD, FACS, San Antonio Plastic Surgeon)

it is quite normal to experience discomfort, swelling, and bruising following any type of liposuction procedure. The discomfort and pain from liposuction are variable between one patient and the next.

The majority of the swelling will resolve in four to six weeks. Optimal results can take up to 6 – 9 months.

Continue wearing your compression garments for best results! (Arthur M. Cambeiro, MD, Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon)

It is normal to still have a lot of swelling, and you see a gradual decrease over the course of three to four months. Your compression garment will help keep swelling under control. (Jerome Edelstein, MD, Toronto Plastic Surgeon)

Every individual is different when it come to recovery time. The average swelling goes away after 6 to 8 weeks. I recommend my patients to wear their post surgical girdle for up to 6 to 12 months by this, helps you to reduce swelling and your liquid retention in those areas. (Mel T. Ortega, MD, Miami Plastic Surgeon)

At less than a week after your procedure, I would definitely expect most of my patients to still have some swelling and pain. I know it can feel frustrating, but try to remember that healing is a process and there’s nothing to do but let your body recover in its own time.

Don’t push yourself too hard. Keep wearing your compression garment and following your post-op instructions. Keep drinking lots of water and you should feel a noticeable improvement in pain levels over the following week. Swelling will continue to dissipate over the following weeks, and final results should be visible after a few months. (Frank Campanile, MD, Denver Plastic Surgeon)

The pain usually goes away before the swelling does. Our office has patients in the garments for a few weeks post op 24/7 and then has patients wear them 1/2 half time for about a month after that.

Make sure that you follow your surgeons post operative instructions. (Jeffrey J. Roth, MD, FACS, Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction Recovery & Healing Time

The pain will subside for the most part after the first week or so, and the swelling will go down 80% by the time three weeks is up.

Continue wearing your compression garment as often as you can to aid healing and control swelling. Pain and discomfort should be markedly less after three weeks, but swelling, lumps, and numbness will still be there.

After six months, you can expect the swelling to be practically gone as well as the lumps, although can take up to a year for final results. (Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS, FACS, Orange County Plastic Surgeon)

Some swelling and pain is always normal after liposuction

Beware of the surgeon who says that “my patients don’t have bruising or swelling.” As an old professor used to say “surgery is injury.” Liposuction, whether done with tumescent technique, VASER, or laser technique invariably leads to some degree of swelling and pain.

Our goal in our Santa Rosa, California plastic surgery office is to minimize bruising, swelling and downtime. We use a very gentle technique, the smallest cannulas that allow the job to be done and we supplement patients with Arnica Montana (an herb than can help with swelling).

Having swelling at 5 days is normal. Having swelling at 5 months is not normal. Everyone heals and recuperates at their own individual pace. Having a continued conversation with your surgeon is the best way to know whether you are healing properly.(Francisco Canales, MD, Santa Rosa Plastic Surgeon)

Usually the discomfort lasts for about a week. Most people complain that it feels like a tought workout at the gym. Bruising and the majority of swelling disappears in 2-3 weeks, but there may be residual swelling for several months. (Steven Wallach, MD, New York Plastic Surgeon)