By Jerome Edelstein, MD
Once your liposuction procedure is over, you cannot just spring up and get back to your normal daily activities. It takes time to heal and if you make the mistake of lifting something too heavy or performing too much physical activity, you may injure yourself or change the results of your surgery. Below, we will go over some tips to help you recovery quickly and love the results you receive.
Be healthy first and foremost
One of the best things you can do for yourself is to remain healthy throughout the healing process. If you are not taking care of your body, you will find that it takes longer to heal. It is imperative that you avoid smoking and drinking alcohol as these things can slow down your heal time significantly.
In addition, you need to make sure that you are following the cleaning and care directions given to you by your surgeon. For instance, if you were told to change the dressing and wash the incision site each day, that does not mean to do it just once a week. If you do not follow the instructions carefully, you run the risk of infection and complications with the results.
Get your rest
Now is not the time to head out to the gym or engage in high activity social encounters. It is important that you rest and relax after surgery to prevent swelling and bruising. While some bruising and swelling is normal, you can minimize it by alternating hot and cold compresses and by wearing a compression garment.
Take prescribed medication as directed
You will experience pain after the surgery and this is normal. It is important though that you take all medications that were prescribed to you to help reduce the pain you feel. You never want to take any NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) medications as they can cause your blood to thin out, which will delay recovery and increase the amount of blood loss (eg advil, motrin etc …. tylenol, however, is OK).
Avoid soaking in baths or hot showers
It is important that you avoid sitting in the bath tub for the first couple weeks after your liposuction procedure as this can lead to infection. In addition, when you shower, do not use excessively hot water as it can promote swelling.
Don’t panic if you don’t see results the next day
It takes time to see results and you should not expect to see them right away. Of course, you will notice a significant difference, but you cannot expect the procedure to be a cure all overnight. As long as you are taking care of yourself and following your surgeon’s instructions, you will see results.
If you are ready to talk about liposuction and how it can help you feel better about yourself, call the team at Edelstein Cosmetic.