Getting A Leg Up On Your Liposuction Recovery

Looking forward to a liposuction procedure soon?  This handy “cheat sheet” will help keep your road to recovery as smooth – and bump-free – as possible.  Here’s to smooth curves ahead!

Liposuction is now the most requested cosmetic procedure in the United States, surpassing breast augmentation surgery for the first time. And, while the widely popular body sculpting system of eliminating stubborn fat pockets from specific areas of the face and body is generally safe, effective, and proven, it’s still very much deemed a surgical procedure that demands the utmost care and attention for a proper, speedy recovery that is sure to yield the most beautiful results. Learn how to protect your body’s investment and be sure to follow the tips recommended in this post to help get you back in that bikini in no time.  

Recovery After Liposuction:  How Long Does It Take to Heal from Liposuction?

While recovery speed varies from patient to patient and is contingent on the individual’s unique healing process, most liposuction procedures can take a few weeks to a few months to fully heal, and in some cases, nearly a year to reveal final results. Chin liposuction recovery, abdomen liposuction recovery, liposuction with fat transfer recovery, and thigh/leg liposuction recovery, for example, all have different recovery period times, so sticking to your doctor’s post-op instructions is key to sculpted body success. If you give yourself plenty of time to rest, recover, and recuperate, your downtime after liposuction will be significantly less. Also, age, overall health, and medical history all play critical roles in a patient’s healing journey. Don’t push too hard, heal at your own pace, and incorporate some extra TLC to the mix.

The liposuction procedure is generally performed as an outpatient procedure. Having a trusty family member or friend to drive you home after your procedure is highly advised since operating a vehicle will be problematic. Here is what to expect in the days and weeks following your liposuction procedure:

• Days 1-3 – Bruising, tenderness, swelling, and soreness at incision sites will appear worse than it is, so don’t be alarmed. You’ll be fitted for compression garments to help drastically reduce swelling and help drain excess fluids. Be prepared to wear these compression garments almost around the clock, as they will prove instrumental in your body’s final look. Compression garments help to sculpt and contour the treated areas, resulting in the smooth, sleek physique you’ve been dreaming of. Some patients may also have small drains at incision sites they’ll have to remove and clean to prevent fluid buildup. Expect moderate pain /discomfort for which pain medication can be prescribed. For this first week, simply take it easy and enlist help around the house, especially if you have young children. 
• Weeks 1-2 – Pain should begin to subside further, and you may be able to resume some of your work duties, especially if you are employed in an office. Patients with physically demanding professions may need to hang back at home for a few more weeks. Keep wearing those compression garments!
• Weeks 3-5 – Pain should almost be nonexistent at this point in the healing process, save for any discomfort from residual swelling, which can take months to completely subside. Your doctor may clear you to engage in light, daily activities to get things moving again. Increased circulation will help aid in the healing process and ensure desired results. 
• Week 6 & Beyond – The majority of bruising and swelling should be gone, though some patients will still have some residual swelling. You can stop wearing compression garments at your doctor’s approval and all exercise and activity levels resumed. Depending on area(s) treated, along with other aforementioned factors, a full scope of results will be revealed at this point in the healing process.

How to Heal from Liposuction:  What You Can Do to Ensure a Full Recovery and Beautiful Results

While you should never put your road to recovery at risk following liposuction, there are a bevy of beneficial tips to boost your body’s natural healing process and help your road to recovery be less rocky, including:

• Eat a Healthy, Wholesome Diet – Pile your plate with colorful, crisp veggies, fresh fruits, fish, nuts, seeds, and other anti-inflammatory foods.
• Stay Hydrated with H2O – Guzzle close to a gallon of water a day to help flush trapped toxins that can cause cellulite and dreaded dimpling.
• Clock Quality Zzzzz’s – Nixing the Netflix and getting between 7-9 hours of quality sleep a night puts your body in reparative mode, facilitating and expediting the natural healing process. 
• Make a Move – Keep fluid buildup at bay and boost much-need blood flow by going for short, light walks each day.

What’s the FASTEST Way to Recover from Liposuction? 

Dr. Barrett has carefully developed a list of must-haves he recommends to all patients for a successful procedure, speedy recovery, and minimal scarring.

Before liposuction:

• Heal Fast Pre-Op: A blend of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, probiotics, and anti-inflammatories specifically designed to prepare your body for surgery, allowing for faster recovery by reducing swelling, busing, and inflammation and aiding in pain control.

Directly after liposuction:

• Biome Breakthrough: a combination of prebiotics and probiotics to repair the gut lining. This is an essential part of post-op healing due to the effects antibiotics and anesthesia have on good gut bacteria.
• Heal Fast Post-Op: A similar supplement to Heal Fast Pre-Op with adjusted ingredients specific to post-operation recovery.
• Barrett Recovery Oil: A cannabidiol-based oil specifically formulated to reduce the need for pain medication after surgery, helping with post-op recovery and inflammation. It can also be used to reduce anxiety before your procedure and as a natural sleep aid.
• Barrett Recovery Balm: A cannabidiol-based balm formulated to provide post-operative muscle relief as an alternative to pain medication.
• Arnica Recovery Complex: An Arnika Forte product formulated to reduce bruising, swelling, and pain, effectively speeding recovery up to 50%.

After incision heals:

• Skinuva Scar Gel: This silicone-based product is the only scar gel with growth factors to help improve the appearance of scars. It is clinically shown to reduce scar appearance two times better than silicone cream.
• Silagen Scar Refinement Dots: Shaped to fit directly over liposuction scars, this silicone gel sheet is designed to reduce the appearance of scars and ensure optimum recovery. 
• LightStim: A red light tool used to naturally bring blood to the surface of your skin to relieve pain, relax muscles, and speed up scar healing.
• iS Clinical Eclipse SPF: UVA and UVB protection is an essential part of scar recovery for the first year after surgery. This product is formulated specifically for daily use and extended outdoor activities.

Properly healing from liposuction and tending to your scars can seem like an overwhelming task. Luckily, Dr. Barrett has eliminated the guesswork but creating his Liposuction Recovery Optimization Kit and Ultimate Scar Management Kit complete with all of the supplements, tools, and materials needed for a safe and speedy recovery. With an emphasis on natural solutions, recovery kits are am essential part of a liposuction procedure.

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