Your Questions
Your Questions
Q: Dr. Eppley, Dr. Eppley, why is my abdomen and waist so hard after two weeks, sore I can understand. How long before it gets back soft. Further when can I stop wearing the garments they are so uncomfortable. Can I take an over the counter drug to help the with swelling or what can I do to help the hardness HELP PLEASE
A: Liposuction is a very traumatic procedure to the tissues that results in swelling, induration and a scar-type reaction. Every liposuction patient, regardless of the technique used, will have to endure a period of swelling and tissue firmness. This is normal and to be expected. The two go hand in hand and both resolve slowly. It is a natural process that takes time as lymphatic drainage is restored. Tissues will return to a normal feel as the soreness and numbness passes. While it will get better as each week goes by, expect a return to complete normalcy of up to a minimum of 6 weeks and possibly as long as three months. There is nothing you can do to hasten that process along such as any OTC medications.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, how long does it take to completely recover from liposuction? I had stomach, back, thigh and knee liposuction one week ago. I had a lot of initial swell and bruising and still do. I had lot of pain in first week, and my doctor told me I would be normal after one week but I am far from that. I still have pain, my body is sore, its hard to sit and sleep and I need to take pain medications to get any sleep. Certain areas of my stomach, leg and knees are numb. I can not go back to my work and I am very worried that I might not be able to do so even after 2 weeks from surgery?
A: While liposuction can produce some really significant body changes, the recovery is also equally significant for most patients. The concept that you would be fine in a week after almost any liposuction procedure sounds great in a marketing advertisement but is not based in reality. Everything that you have mentioned sounds exactly like what I would have predicted for just one week after surgery. While the next week will make some great strides in improvement and you will likely be able to go back to your work in another week, the true recovery from most liposuction procedures is closer to 3 weeks for being active again and up to 3 months to see the final contouring results.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: I am scheduled to have liposuction of my abdomen, thighs and hips in two weeks. Three weeks later I am scheduled to leave on a ten day cruise in the Mediterranean. Do you think I will be Ok for this trip and fully recovered, my doctor says I should be just fine by then?
A: The simple answer is no and this would not be how I would schedule those two events. Liposuction takes much longer to fully recover from than almost all patients think. It is one thing to try and go back to work in a week or two because you have to and can’t get the time off work or extend it any longer. It is another to go on an elective trip that is prescheduled/prepaid, involves overseas travel, and is done for the purpose of pure enjoyment. While you no doubt can make the trip, you will not find it as enjoyable as you would like. Being swollen and sore is no way to go on a pleasure trip. While I fully understand the desire to look good and have a more sculpted body for the trip, you would be well served to postpone your surgery until afterwards. The minimum amount of time I recommend to my patients after major liposuction surgery is six week recovery before embarking on vacations, extended travel and cruises.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, will I go back to the smallest size I was right after liposuction? It’s been three weeks now since I had liposuction of my stomach, flanks and back. Right after I got out of my surgery and for a week or so after that, my stomach was really flat. But then I swelled up and I don’t look quite the same. While I am not big or back to where I started, I thought by now I would be smaller since all of the swelling appears to be gone. Does one ever get back to what they were right after surgery?
A: What you are experiencing is extremely common and affects all liposuction patients. The more areas that are treated by liposuction, the more this rebound swelling phenomenon occurs. This is known as lymphedema which is fluid build-up throughout the tissues. This is not a localized collection of fluid but it is spread throughout the tissues. This is due to partial obstruction of the lymphatic channels and normal lymphatic outflow in the treated areas. This is a temporary phenomenon that occurs in all liposuction patients for the first few months after surgery. It appears within days to a week after the surgery. It is a self-solving problem as the lymphatic channels heal and reopen. This will restore the shape back to what you saw right after surgery. In addition, swelling after liposuction takes months to fully resolve not weeks.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I had liposuction of my stomach done three weeks ago. A total of nearly 1500cc of fat was removed. The very next day I looked great and my stomach was flat. But by the next few days, my stomach got bloated and bigger. Then I got my period and got even more bloated. For now my belly pouch is back although it is smaller. Is this normal and will it ever go flat again?
A: What you are describing is a very typical sequence of events after liposuction. When you see yourself the next day due to the compression applied by the garment and with no real swelling yet present, the amount of improvement created by the fat removal is seen. Then the swelling and the temporary impairment of lymphatic outflow occurs and some of the improvement appears to be lost. What I tell my patients is that what they see the next day will eventually return but it will take at least 4 to 6 weeks to get back to that. This is the time needed for all swelling to go away and much of the normal lymphatic circulation to return. So you will get to where you want to be but it requires more time and patience. This is a normal part of the recovery process from liposuction.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I had liposuction done in my abdomen, lower back, inner and outer thighs and knees six weeks ago. I was told that just over two liters was removed. The day after surgery I definitely felt smaller. But now, six weeks later, I feel that What Can You Do To Get Your Ex Girlfriend Back I am back right where I started. I see no changes and I don’t look any different in the mirror nor do my clothes feel any looser. I know that swelling takes a long time to go away and I may still be swollen but when am I going to see changes in my body? Could this be fat coming back so soon?
A: There is always going to be some considerable swelling after liposuction but the usual course of swelling resolution is as follows. Within the first day or two after surgery when the garments are taken off to shower, it is a very encouraging sign when patients say it is already better. If not does not look smaller already, that is not a bad sign for the long-term result but I would prefer to hear it is already looking better. Swelling will then set in and much of the initial improvement can be seen to ‘disappear’. By three weeks after liposuction, one should be in the visible benefits phase where the improvement is clearly evident. By six weeks after surgery, much of the improvement in the body contours is even better even though further improvement can continue up to three months after surgery.
How much improvement any liposuction patient will see after surgery is largely volume dependent. How much fat has been removed will determine how visible the changes will ultimately be. While I don’t know what you looked like to start with and how much fat you had, removing two liters of fat aspirate from all those body areas seems like a small amount. While the final verdict awaits six more weeks, I would question if you had enough removed to really make a noticeable change. Whay we do know is that it is definitely not fat coming back at this point.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
