“How long is the recovery for abdominal liposuction?”
I am a 39 year old female. I want to know how long is the recovery for abdominal liposuction?
10 Answers
Hello. The recovery is one to two weeks, although it will take 3-4 months to see the final results of your liposuction.
Usually abdominal liposuction is combined with muscle tightening and skin tightening so the recovery can be 6-8 weeks.
Usually people can return to work in a couple of days.
Depends on amount of adipose tisue removed,areas treated and general health of patient. Could be from 3 weeks to a few months.
Recovery can be individual-specific, as factors such as how extensive the liposuction is, body mass index (greater risk for complications when over 30.0 kg/m2), baseline physical activity and function, and other preoperative medical conditions (hypertension a.k.a. "high blood pressure) all play a role.
Generally speaking, though, abdominal liposuction alone should be a same day surgery, if no other areas of the body are treated or liposuctioned. Small incisions are either sutured, glued, or left open to drain. Dressings are applied to each incision site (usually one around the belly button or umbilicus, and others along the lower abdomen and sometimes the upper abdomen), and you are placed in a compression garment or abdominal binder. Surgical drains are not typical unless the degree of liposuction and fat removed is truly extensive.
You generally feel as if you were "gut punched" or had a hard ab workout at the gym.That soreness generally improves rapidly over the first 1-2 weeks, although some residual soreness may exist beyond that. Most likely you are prescribed a short course of an oral narcotic (such as Norco or Percocet), but many surgeons will instruct you to switch to over-the-counter Tylenol and NSAIDs (such as Aleve, Ibuprofen, Motrin, or Advil) as soon as possible.
Swelling, called edema, is the main thing to expect and which takes three (3) months or longer to resolve. The edema is due to your body's inflammatory response to having undergone surgery, what with the incisions, injection of numbing fluid called "tumescence" or "wetting solution," and repeated motions of the liposuction cannula (which I tell my patients is a hollow metal straw attached to a mechanical pump machine). The trauma of the surgery causes your body to produce fluid in an attempt to heal. Keeping up with regular compression garment wear is critical, and you may find yourself needing to wear some degree of compression garment (whether your operative garment or something like Spanx) for three (3) to six (6) months or even longer. Again, this depends on how extensive your liposuction was and how much fat was removed.
In terms of downtime from activity such as working out:
For at least four (4) weeks post-op, I tell my patients not to engage in strenuous activity that would stress out your "core" abdominal area. So, no weight lifting, straining, squatting, unnecessarily flexing your abs at the waist repeatedly, etc.
After about a month, I tell my patients they can gradually resume regular physical activity, but also that they should not go "zero to hero" and suddenly be doing squats and sit-ups at the gym. The return to activity needs to be gradual and you have to listen to your body for signs of overdoing it, such as new soreness or worsening swelling, which can just be more edema to the area, or else it can be a buildup of wound fluid inside called a "seroma."
So, to summarize my answer to your question:
Expect downtime of at least a month before you gradually return to regular physical activity. The more active you are, the more swelling you will notice, and it will take even more time for that swelling to resolve.
In terms of waiting for your "before and after" results: do not even bother looking at yourself obsessively to view a visible change in your body contour until you are at least three (3) months, if not six (6) months out from your liposuction operation.
Compression is your friend. The more consistently you are wearing compression (24/7, except when showering), the quicker your recovery and the better your overall result will be.
Minimizing salt intake can also be helpful, as salt and water love to mix, so a salty diet will lead to increased water weight or edema. You also want to be on a low carb, high protein diet to heal properly. Unnecessary or processed carbs are what caused you to buildup fat in your abdomen in the first place, so it will be up to YOU to do your part to optimize and maintain your postoperative result.
I hope this information helps, and good luck with your liposuction journey! It can be life-changing when done for the right individual with the right attitude and adherence to good postoperative care.
Nirav B. Patel, MD, JD, FACS, FCLM
Generally speaking, though, abdominal liposuction alone should be a same day surgery, if no other areas of the body are treated or liposuctioned. Small incisions are either sutured, glued, or left open to drain. Dressings are applied to each incision site (usually one around the belly button or umbilicus, and others along the lower abdomen and sometimes the upper abdomen), and you are placed in a compression garment or abdominal binder. Surgical drains are not typical unless the degree of liposuction and fat removed is truly extensive.
You generally feel as if you were "gut punched" or had a hard ab workout at the gym.That soreness generally improves rapidly over the first 1-2 weeks, although some residual soreness may exist beyond that. Most likely you are prescribed a short course of an oral narcotic (such as Norco or Percocet), but many surgeons will instruct you to switch to over-the-counter Tylenol and NSAIDs (such as Aleve, Ibuprofen, Motrin, or Advil) as soon as possible.
Swelling, called edema, is the main thing to expect and which takes three (3) months or longer to resolve. The edema is due to your body's inflammatory response to having undergone surgery, what with the incisions, injection of numbing fluid called "tumescence" or "wetting solution," and repeated motions of the liposuction cannula (which I tell my patients is a hollow metal straw attached to a mechanical pump machine). The trauma of the surgery causes your body to produce fluid in an attempt to heal. Keeping up with regular compression garment wear is critical, and you may find yourself needing to wear some degree of compression garment (whether your operative garment or something like Spanx) for three (3) to six (6) months or even longer. Again, this depends on how extensive your liposuction was and how much fat was removed.
In terms of downtime from activity such as working out:
For at least four (4) weeks post-op, I tell my patients not to engage in strenuous activity that would stress out your "core" abdominal area. So, no weight lifting, straining, squatting, unnecessarily flexing your abs at the waist repeatedly, etc.
After about a month, I tell my patients they can gradually resume regular physical activity, but also that they should not go "zero to hero" and suddenly be doing squats and sit-ups at the gym. The return to activity needs to be gradual and you have to listen to your body for signs of overdoing it, such as new soreness or worsening swelling, which can just be more edema to the area, or else it can be a buildup of wound fluid inside called a "seroma."
So, to summarize my answer to your question:
Expect downtime of at least a month before you gradually return to regular physical activity. The more active you are, the more swelling you will notice, and it will take even more time for that swelling to resolve.
In terms of waiting for your "before and after" results: do not even bother looking at yourself obsessively to view a visible change in your body contour until you are at least three (3) months, if not six (6) months out from your liposuction operation.
Compression is your friend. The more consistently you are wearing compression (24/7, except when showering), the quicker your recovery and the better your overall result will be.
Minimizing salt intake can also be helpful, as salt and water love to mix, so a salty diet will lead to increased water weight or edema. You also want to be on a low carb, high protein diet to heal properly. Unnecessary or processed carbs are what caused you to buildup fat in your abdomen in the first place, so it will be up to YOU to do your part to optimize and maintain your postoperative result.
I hope this information helps, and good luck with your liposuction journey! It can be life-changing when done for the right individual with the right attitude and adherence to good postoperative care.
Nirav B. Patel, MD, JD, FACS, FCLM
The weekend.
JORDAN P. FARKAS, M.D.
JORDAN P. FARKAS, M.D.
Most people are able to return to normal activities within two weeks.
Three weeks.
Recovery time depends on the extent of the procedure. Most commonly, you can be back to work in a few days and a binder may be helpful. Please consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon.
In my hands 3-5 days a week at the most
