Are you considering liposuction? If you’re close to your ideal body weight and want to remove stubborn fat from specific problem areas, liposuction can help you achieve a slimmer silhouette. Like most surgical procedures, liposuction requires a healing and recovery process. Knowing what to expect during liposuction recovery can help you determine if liposuction is right for you.

Can I Go Home After the Procedure?

Liposuction is typically an outpatient procedure, which means you can go home the same day. You’ll rest in a recovery room as the anesthesia wears off. You can expect to go home about an hour after your procedure. You’ll need a friend or family member to drive you home after your appointment.

What Should I Expect During the Recovery Process?

It’s normal for you to feel some soreness and discomfort after liposuction. To help you minimize any discomfort, you’ll be prescribed pain relievers. Wearing loose-fitting clothing and supporting your body with plenty of cushions or pillows will help you feel more comfortable as you recover.

Your plastic surgeon will give you a compression garment or elastic bandage to wrap around the treatment area. These compression garments are designed to reduce swelling and will help shape the treatment area, contouring your body to its new shape, so it’s important to wear them diligently.

Can I Exercise During Recovery?

You should plan on limiting your activity as much as possible, especially during the first week of your recovery. This means not exercising, not going to work, or participating in most of your everyday activities. However, you shouldn’t feel like you’re confined to your bed. Light movement can help speed your body’s healing and improve circulation. Taking short walks around your house throughout the day is a great way to get moving without causing unnecessary strain on your body.

When Can I Resume My Normal Schedule?

Liposuction recovery is different for everyone. We typically advise our patients to take off from work for at least one week and gradually add other non-strenuous activities to their schedule over the next several weeks. Following your plastic surgeon’s instructions will help ensure a smooth recovery.

What Will the Treatment Area Look Like During Recovery?

Bruising and swelling in the treatment area are common after liposuction. Wearing your compression garment will minimize swelling and prevent fluid buildup. Swelling usually starts to go down by the end of your first week.

You might notice some results shortly after your procedure, but it can take time before you see dramatic results. Depending on how much fat was removed during your procedure, it can take between one to three months before your final results appear.

Schedule a Consultation

Dr. Dallas Homas and Dr. Lisa Brostrom at New Image Plastic Surgery in San Antonio, TX are dedicated to first-class service and treatment outcomes for all patients. To learn more about how you can achieve your desired body contour with liposuction, contact our San Antonio office today to schedule your consultation with our board-certified surgeons.

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The unwanted pockets of fat and bulges that liposuction can eliminate can significantly improve the shape of your body. Liposuction is great for permanently removing fat from troubled areas but does nothing to address the loose skin that is left behind. Many past and prospective patients fear they will need to deal with this loose skin for the remainder of their lives. However, there are things you can do to remedy this situation.

The Liposuction Process

Unlike tummy tuck and body lift surgeries, liposuction does not remove the excess skin that may remain after fat removal. Liposuction is great at addressing the fat that is left behind after the patient has used diet and exercise to address the majority of their fat concerns. This makes liposuction best suited for smaller areas like hips or the back of the knees. Excess skin can be left behind when liposuction is used to address larger areas like the stomach, buttocks, and thighs.

Skin After Liposuction

As individuals grow larger, the skin stretches to accommodate the changes in their bodies. Removing fat with liposuction will not cause the skin to shrink. The skin elasticity of a liposuction patient is evaluated before the surgery is performed to predict the ability of the skin to reshape itself following the surgery. Healthy skin will have a better chance of shrinking into place after liposuction.

Improve The Elasticity of Your Skin

The time to worry about increasing collagen production and improving the elasticity of your skin is in the months leading up to the liposuction procedure. You should be willing to take the measures to make sure your skin is healthy if you are willing to spend the money necessary to undergo the liposuction procedure. You can add these activities to your daily activities to improve the quality of your skin.

  • Stay hydrated – Six to eight glasses of water a day are usually enough to boost the texture, tone, and elasticity of your skin.
  • Exercise – Regular exercise has been proven to help the body produce collagen and elastin.
  • Healthy eating – Including a wide range of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants will promote healthy skin. Your skin will be healthy and elastic if you give it the nutrition it needs.
  • Daily Care – You should clean and moisturize your skin on a daily basis. Regular exfoliation will eliminate dead cells in the skin and promote the growth of new cells.

Treatments That Boost Elasticity

There are skin rejuvenation techniques that may help eliminate sagging skin after liposuction surgery. You should discuss the safety and potential benefit of these treatments with your plastic surgeon.

Vaser Lipo As An Alternative

Vaser lipo is an ultrasonic treatment that can remove the fat you desire while encouraging the tightening of the skin. This is an excellent alternative for patients who worry about loose and sagging skin in the aftermath of their liposuction surgery. Vaser Lipo is a great alternative to traditional lipo procedures and can provide patients with the benefits they desire without the consequence of sagging skin.

Planning Your Strategy For Liposuction

You can take the first step to achieve the body image you desire by consulting with a skilled liposuction surgeon. Dr. Dallas W. Homas and Dr. Lisa Brostrom, of New Image Plastic Surgery in San Antonio, TX, are two examples of these skilled professionals and have a combined experience of over 30 years as surgeons in the U.S. Armed Forces. Dr. Homas and Dr. Brostrom have treated countless satisfied patients with a variety of cosmetic procedures in the San Antonio area.

Individuals in the San Antonio area can reach New Image Plastic Surgery by phone at (210) 988-9819. There is also an online contact form for individuals who wish to schedule a consultation online.

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When it comes to achieving a toned waistline, there are a number of factors that can affect your results. The presence of loose skin and hanging tissue from weight loss, pregnancy, or age can be impossible to remove without a surgical procedure. Stubborn fat is also a common culprit and can be resistant to diet and exercise alone. With these cosmetic procedures completed by Dr. Brostrom or Dr. Homas at New Image Plastic Surgery, you can achieve a toned abdominal area and slim your waistline!

Tummy Tuck

A tummy tuck is a surgical procedure to remove excess skin and tissue from the abdominal area. The skin can stretch during pregnancy, with a dramatic weight loss, or from gravity and aging. During the tummy tuck procedure, this excess skin will be removed and the underlying tissue is tightening to tone the midsection. The belly button will also be repositioned during the process. In an extended tummy tuck, excess skin and tissue that extends to the flanks and back can also be addressed. New Image Plastic Surgery also offers a drainless tummy tuck option which is very similar to a traditional tummy tuck, but sutures are placed within the abdomen, replacing and eliminating the need for drains. The results of the tummy tuck procedures are a flatter stomach without excess skin and tissue in the way! These results are permanent as long as you maintain your healthy weight. Scarring can be expected, but our board-certified plastic surgeons will ensure that this can be easily concealed below the bikini line.

Liposuction

Liposuction is a surgical procedure using very tiny incisions and a cannula to break up and remove fat cells. Liposuction is commonly used in the abdominal area to remove stubborn fat and sculpt the tummy. For men, this often involves sculpting a more muscular looking abdominal, while many women wish to achieve an hourglass figure. Because only tiny incisions are used, patients can expect little to no scarring with liposuction alone. Once the fat cells are removed, they cannot return to the treated area.

Combining procedures

If excess skin, hanging tissue, and stubborn fat are all causing your poor abdominal contour, you might combine procedures to treat all your concerns at once! Liposuction techniques are often recommended during the tummy tuck process to remove stubborn fat and optimize body-recontouring.

To start slimming your waistline, contact our office and schedule your consultation with Dr. Homas or Dr. Brostrom today. They can determine which techniques are right for you to customize your contouring procedure.

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