Liposuction is a highly effective plastic surgery operation where a physician is able to sculpt and shape a number of different areas of the body in order to create a patient’s ideal appearance. This is true of any Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon. Below we look at key methods to enhance liposuction recovery.
Key Methods to Enhance Liposuction Recovery
Like most intensive surgery operations, there is an extensive recovery period for patients after their initial operation is executed. Managing this recovery period is essential for maintaining the results of your procedure.
If you have a liposuction procedure scheduled or are just interested in learning more about it, take a read over this summary of the ways in which you can maximize your recovery period.
Liposuction Basics
Contrary to popular understanding, Liposuction is not simply a tool to lose weight. In fact, physicians tend not to think of it as a weight loss tool at all.
Instead, Liposuction is a method where doctors can use the existing fat and tissue in the body and modify it. This makes it more akin to a body sculpting technique than a weight loss mechanism.
Liposuction is effective in many areas of the body. Some of the commonly applied areas include:
- Thighs
- Buttocks
- Abdominal area
- Neck and shoulders
- Chest and underarms
- And More
Overall, you and your physician will be able to craft a plan for the spots in your body that you’ll try to target. This will help ensure that you end up with the highest level of satisfaction possible regarding your results.
Take It Easy at First
One thing that comes almost universally recommended is to avoid overly strenuous exercise in the period following your surgery. This is because your body will be in a very sensitive state following your initial operation.
Subjecting your physique to overly strenuous circumstances has the potential to compromise the results of your procedure.
Instead, your environment and schedule should be primed to assist you in relaxing as much as possible.
Some of the steps you might take will include things like preparing your home environment to minimize stress. You may also want to arrange for pet and childcare during this period so that you end up exerting as little energy as possible.
This period where you end up in a more fragile state, has the potential to last for up to several weeks. For this reason, it can be best practice to plan for this period well before your actual surgical experience.
Avoid Unhealthy Lifestyle Habits
Another step you can take in order to ensure best results for yourself is to avoid engaging in things that would traditionally be considered unhealthy. First and foremost, this would usually refer to things like your tobacco and alcohol intake.
Most physicians will recommend that you completely quit smoking not only during and after your procedure but for several weeks beforehand.
In addition, you’ll also want to watch your general alcohol consumption. Limiting the amount you drink in the weeks surrounding your procedure can help to ensure the best overall results.
The reason that these types of activities are frowned upon is because alcohol and tobacco both have the potential to interrupt blood pressure and flow. In a post-surgical body, this can have consequences that are quite severe.
For the same reasons, you might be asked about any herbal supplements or prescription medications that you’re currently taking.
Try To Maintain Your Post-Liposuction Weight and Figure
Your particular liposuction experience will center on the creation of a figure that your physician makes out of your body.
For this reason, it remains paramount to try and maintain the target figure that you and your physician set out to achieve when you first came seeking treatment.
Failing to do this could mean that your procedure results end up becoming compromised due to an imbalance in the way your appearance ends up. Given that this is the entire point of a liposuction procedure, it behooves the patient to attempt to regulate this aspect of their surgical experience.
Diet and Exercise
As mentioned before, maintaining a disciplined diet and exercise regimen can give you a head start in maintaining your liposuction results for some time to come.
Many physicians recommend avoiding foods that are overly high in saturated fats or sodium in the initial weeks following your operation.
Eating a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and veggies is a good idea regardless of your current health status. But in a post-surgical state becomes doubly relevant.
Sticking to a routine that enhances your health and well-being will help your body recover rapidly and effectively.
Drink Plenty of Water
This is another piece of common sense that oftentimes falls by the wayside. However, drinking plenty of water is another way to ensure that your liposuction recovery moves along rapidly and efficiently.
Water is the lifeblood of the human body and impacts all of the systems that help it function. Drinking plenty of it will give your physical system the energy it needs to recover fully from this stressful experience.
Overall, drinking plenty of water is a good idea no matter what your health situation is.
Take Care of Your Dressings and Bandages
The area that is affected by your liposuction procedure will be dressed with various compressing bandages and dressings after the procedure is over.
Keeping these dressings secure and un-meddled with will ensure that your body heals properly in this period where it is especially sensitive.
On the other hand, disturbing these dressings can compromise the results of your procedure and set you back on your path to recovery.
The Recovery Timeline
All in all, patience is a virtue when it comes to your recovery process. This is because it ultimately can take up to 6 weeks for an individual to completely recover from a liposuction procedure. Here are some things to watch out for during your own recovery:
- Week I: Monitor and serious pain, swelling, and bruising. Some situations may warrant some medication to control. Also, taking care to avoid strenuous physical activity.
- Week II-III: You’ll generally find that you feel much better and that you’re able to physically return to work. That being said, you’ll still want to limit the amount of exercise that you take on.
- Week IV-V: At this point, much of the bruising and swelling of your procedure should be concluded.
- Week VI: Swelling should be completed. At this point, you’ll likely find that you’re able to gradually increase the amount of exercise that you’re able to take on.
Each step of the recovery process should be handled with delicacy and care in order to produce the best results.
Consider Combining Liposuction with Other Procedures
If you have multiple sessions planned for your body in terms of plastic surgery, sometimes your recovery period can be made more expedited if you undergo multiple surgeries in the same session rather than separately.
Liposuction can be effectively combined with several other plastic surgery procedures to create highly synergistic results. Some of the procedures that this includes are ones such as:
- Abdominoplasty
- Mastopexy
- Lower Body Lift
- Rhytidectomy
- Thigh Lift
- Butt Lift
- Neck lift
- Upper arm lift
- Mommy makeover
If you consult with your physician and find that you are physically fit enough to take on multiple procedures, then this might be an opportunity for you to save both money and time in the big picture.
This is because consolidating procedures and only having to go through one recovery period has the potential to deliver highly satisfying results. After all – this is what a patient comes in seeking to obtain.
However, due to the more physically stressful nature of this procedure, it is generally more difficult to qualify for multiple operations. Barring any serious chronic illness, such as heart or lung disease, most healthy patients should qualify.
Assessing Your Medical Fitness
In order to have a successful liposuction procedure as well as recovery period, you’ll need to ensure that you’re physically fit enough to undergo this type of procedure in the first place.
During your pre-surgical consultation, you’ll discuss with your doctor all of the ins and outs of how to properly prepare for your upcoming procedure.
Determining your level of physical fitness can be a very involved process. Things such as your medical history and your family’s medical history will be taken into account.
In addition, any medications or supplements that you are taking will be taken into account. Overall, if you’re in sound health, you should find yourself approved for treatment.
Additionally important to your overall results is the attitude you keep going into the procedure. Keeping your goals realistic for your overall procedure will help you maintain satisfaction with the results as a whole.
Beverly Hill’s Liposuction Authority
Gabbay Plastic Surgery is a premiere destination for liposuction for the residents of Beverly Hills and southern California in general. If you’re interested in liposuction treatment, then make sure to schedule a private consultation today in order to find out why we’re considered the best place for liposuction in Beverly Hills.
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