How do I prepare for liposuction?
Your surgeon will provide thorough preoperative instructions, answer any questions you may have before your surgery, take a detailed medical history, and perform a physical exam to determine your fitness for surgery.
In advance of your procedure, your surgeon may ask you to:
- Lose weight or make a lifestyle change to ensure the best results and minimize the chance of complications. You should be at a stable, dependable weight before you undergo liposuction.
- Stop smoking before undergoing surgery to promote better healing.
- Avoid taking aspirin, certain anti-inflammatory drugs, and some herbal medications that can cause increased bleeding.
- Hydrate before and after surgery for safe recovery.
Liposuction surgery is usually an outpatient procedure. You will need to arrange for someone to drive you home after surgery and stay with you for at least the first night following surgery. If you are undergoing a large volume of liposuction (5 liters), your surgeon may have you stay in a surgical facility overnight.
What can I expect the day of my liposuction?
Be sure to consult with your surgeon before your surgery so you have the most accurate expectations.
- You may have your liposuction procedure in an accredited hospital, free-standing ambulatory facility, or office-based surgical suite.
- Most lipoplasty procedures take ninety minutes or less to complete but may take longer depending on how much fat is removed and the number of liposuction sites. If multiple sites on both sides of the body are suctioned, the procedure could take over three hours. Your surgeon will give you an estimate for how long your surgery will last.
- The surgeon will administer medications for your comfort during the procedure.
- You will likely receive local anesthesia combined with intravenous sedation, but in some cases, general anesthesia is desirable.
- For your safety during the surgery, various monitors will be used to check your heart, blood pressure, pulse, and the amount of oxygen circulating in your blood.
- Your surgeon will follow the surgical plan discussed with you before surgery. Once surgery has begun, the surgeon may decide to combine various techniques or change a technique to ensure the best result. It is important that you feel comfortable and trust your surgeon to make these decisions.
- After your surgery, you will go to a recovery area for continued monitoring.
- You will most likely be wearing a compression garment to help “shrink” the skin. Many patients state that the area feels sore, as if they underwent a vigorous workout. You also may have drainage tubes.
You likely can go home after a short observation period unless you and your aesthetic plastic surgeon agree on an overnight stay or have made other plans for your immediate postoperative recovery.