If you are considering or have already decided to undergo liposuction, you probably have many questions about what to expect before and after your surgery. Most people considering liposuction, or any elective cosmetic surgery, feel a mixture of excitement and anxiety as their surgery date approaches…this is perfectly normal. Knowing what to expect will help alleviate any worries you may have and to aid in a speedy recovery.
Before LiposuctionBefore liposuction it is important to be at a stable, healthy weight for at least three to six months before surgery. Liposuction is best used for healthy, non-smoking patients at a stable weight with discrete, localized fat deposits that are resistant to diet and exercise. Liposuction is not effective as a general weight loss technique and cannot be used to remove excess skin or stretch marks.
At your preoperative appointment, Dr. Jaime Perez will review your history and physical, discuss your goals for liposuction surgery in detail once again, and take preoperative liposuction photographs.
The Day of Surgery
As the day of surgery approaches it is important to stay hydrated because you will be advised to stop eating or drinking at midnight the evening before surgery. When you arrive at the Plastic Surgery Center of Tampa you will be given an IV and started on intravenous fluids. The operating room staff and anesthesiologist will go over your history and physical. Dr. Perez will speak to you before surgery, answer any last minute questions you may have, and mark the areas of your body to be addressed with liposuction. The operating room staff will then escort you to the operating room. At the Plastic Surgery Tampa, Dr. Perez performs most liposuction under general anesthesia with the typical procedure lasting one to three hours.
Immediately After Liposuction
After your surgery is complete you will awaken in the recovery room. You will be given medications for nausea and pain to make your recovery from liposuction as comfortable as possible. You will recover in the recovery room for about an hour; during that time, a friend or family member may join you until you are ready to leave. You will not be able to drive yourself home the day of surgery and will need a responsible adult to drive you home.You should drink plenty of fluids the first few days after surgery to stay well hydrated. If you are urinating less frequently than usual, feel short of breath, or dizzy be sure to call the office.
Liposuction Recovery
You must wear anti-embolism stockings for two weeks after surgery and one to two compression garments for six weeks after liposuction. The stockings help prevent deep vein thromboses while the compression garments help decrease edema and speed healing following Liposuction Tampa.
You may start driving when you are no longer taking narcotic pain medicines and when your reflexes are no longer limited by pain. Most patients are able to return to work within one week of liposuction and are able to return to full exercise after six weeks.
Dr. Jaime Perez will see you the first day or two after surgery to ensure that your recovery from liposuction is progressing as expected. He will see you approximately twice a week the first two weeks, then with decreasing frequency over the next six weeks.
Postoperative photographs will be taken at your six week follow up appointment. Six weeks following your surgery you will be able to compare your before and after liposuction photographs. Most patients are unable to believe their transformation and barely recognize their preoperative liposuction photographs.
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