Life After Lipo: 7 Things to Expect Following Liposuction

• 5 September 2024
• Dr Joseph Rizk

Last updated on September 5, 2024

Curious about what to expect from Liposuction, including recovery time and results? We’ll break it down in this guide to life after Liposuction.

In 2015, doctors performed over 200,000 liposuctions around the world. That makes liposuction one of the most popular plastic surgery options out there. And even though it’s a relatively procedure, there are still things that you should look out for.

If you’re thinking about getting liposuction but you aren’t sure you can handle the changes you may experience post-surgery, keep reading. We’re going to break down what you can expect after liposuction.

Your Results May Not Be Immediately Noticeable

Liposuction, also known as lipoplasty, is a procedure that is designed to slim and reshape areas of your body that are prone to excess fat. This can help improve the overall shape of your body and the way it contours.

During a liposuction procedure, a surgeon will remove fat through an instrument called a cannula. They literally suction the fat out through this device.

And while it might sound like that would offer immediate results, often times there are other things to contend with.

First of all, after liposuction, the area that had the procedure will be wrapped in compression bandages. You’ll have to keep these on for a number of weeks.

The compression bandages are there to prevent excess swelling to the area. Your body is naturally going to respond to liposuction with swelling that could become troublesome if left untreated.

Because of this swelling and all the bandages, it can be difficult to see the effects of your liposuction right away. Be patient with yourself and your body!

Your Scarring Should Be Minimal

A great thing about liposuction is that the device used to suction the fat from your body is small. This means that, as long as everything goes according to plan, there’s no reason to have an incision any bigger than your pinky finger.

There may be more than one incision area, though. It’s important that the doctor get the right vantage point on the fatty tissue that you want to remove, so they need to come at it from multiple angles.

Most plastic surgeons will even make sure that they hide your incisions in discrete areas!

The Pain Isn’t Terrible

After getting liposuction, you can expect some kind of pain. No surgery is without its fair share of pressure or bruising. But oftentimes, people who get liposuction say that they don’t experience intense pain.

The entire area will feel as though it is very bruised. This can all depend on the area that the surgeon treated, as areas with more nerve endings will be more painful than areas with less.

Overall, no matter where you got liposuction, the pain should never be so bad that you can’t concentrate on other things or sleep. Over the counter pain medication taken as directed should be enough to take the edge off of anything that is bothering you.

If you work on staying active, eating healthy, and moving the area that you had surgery, you can minimize any pain you might experience.

If the pain is more than you expected or you notice that your incision areas feel hot to the touch, you should call your office for more instructions.

It Can Be Hard to Predict How Much Fat Will Be Removed

In order to make sure that your liposuction is a same-day procedure, the doctor will need to make sure that he or she only removes five liters of fat or less. This comes out to be about ten pounds of fat.

However, the exact amount of fat that your surgeon removes depends on a variety of factors, like how much fat you have in the area, the kind of look you want to achieve, and whether or not the area starts to bleed while the doctor is treating it.

The procedure isn’t as as just sticking a vacuum under your skin and sucking out the fat until the machine turns off. It’s a complicated process that your surgeon won’t be able to predict ly.

Liposuction Won’t Treat Excess Skin

Even though getting rid of excess fat sounds ideal, there are still some things you should consider when it comes to your post-procedure body. The main thing people don’t expect is the possibility of loose skin.

Over time as we age and as excess fat causes our skin to stretch, our skin loses its elasticity. That means that if you get liposuction in an area with a lot of stretch marks or on a place with thin skin, you’ll probably wind up with some sagging skin.

Over time, some of this skin may snap back into place. But the reality is that without a skin lift, it won’t go entirely back to normal.

The Fat Won’t Grow Back…

Once your liposuction procedure is over, there won’t be any fat cells in that area anymore. As long as you stay close to the same weight all around, there’s little chance of your weight coming back in that area.

…But Weight Gain Can Happen

However, liposuction doesn’t mean that you won’t ever gain weight again. While you have less fat cells in that area, those cells can still get bigger with weight gain.

What’s worse, because those fat cells won’t ever come back, if you gain a lot of weight after liposuction, other areas of your body will appear to get disproportionately larger.

That shouldn’t deter you from your body, however. All it takes is a healthy diet and exercise to keep your weight under control.

Life After Liposuction: What to Expect

After liposuction, you can expect to be a little sore and swollen, but overall those are the only two effects you have to worry about. Liposuction is an procedure that has manageable side effects. And once the procedure is over, you’ll have the body you always dreamed of!

For more information about liposuction, schedule your consult today!

About The Author

Dr Joseph Rizk

Dr Joseph Rizk is a trusted advanced Plastic Surgeon based in Sydney. He has undergone significant training to become an expert in the fields of breast, face and body surgery.