How Long is the Liposuction Recovery Period and What is it Like?

    TAMPA, FL, August 13, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- If you are considering a plastic surgery procedure such as liposuction, an important factor to consider is the recovery experience. Like many plastic surgery procedures, liposuction is performed as an outpatient procedure, so you are able to go home the same day, but the recovery period can take a significant amount of time.

Liposuction Recovery: How Much Time to Take Off Work

The initial recovery period for liposuction varies from one to seven days, depending on personal factors, the area you have treated, and how well you follow your surgeon's instructions. During this initial period, you may experience significant discomfort, although this is typically controllable if you take your prescribed medications according to instructions.

After your procedure, you will wear a compression garment on the treated area that helps the area heal into the desired contour. You will wear this garment until you see final results. (See below.) You may also wear compression stockings to help reduce your risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

Serious Complications: What to Look For

There are no reliable figures for the frequency of serious complications following liposuction. However, estimates go as high as 1 in 1,000 liposuction patients may die of a serious complication following liposuction, most due to pulmonary embolism. To avoid potentially fatal complications, look for these warning signs:

- Fever
- Chest pain
- Rapid heart rate
- Rapid breathing or inability to catch your breath

If you experience any of these warning signs, contact your surgeon's office immediately. If you are unable to get in touch with your surgeon, you should go to the emergency room.

Full Recovery and Final Results

Once you are able to return to work, you should still avoid strenuous activities for 4-6 weeks depending on the instructions of your surgeon, which will be based on the treatment area and your personal recovery rate.

You should begin to see results during the early recovery period, usually by the time you are able to return to work. However, they will continue to prove over several months after surgery, reaching final results at 3-6 months.

If you are considering liposuction and would like to learn more about the procedure, you can visit the website of a plastic surgeon, such as Gayoso Plastic Surgery in Tampa, Florida.

Can I Have Children Again after a Tummy Tuck?

There are many Internet rumors about plastic surgery. One of the more persistent ones is that you can't have children after having a tummy tuck. A variation on this rumor says that your risk of complications during pregnancy are increased after tummy tuck, or that you will experience significant pain during a post-tummy-tuck pregnancy.

The variations on the rumor can make it seem more credible, but the truth is that there is no evidence to suggest that a tummy tuck leads to any increase in complication rates or discomfort during pregnancy.

Myth #1: You Can't Have Children after a Tummy Tuck

This spurious claim has no basis in fact. Talk to any OB or family doctor and they will tell you it's untrue. If you are talking to a plastic surgeon about a possible tummy tuck, you can ask and the chances are pretty good one of his or her patients has had a successful pregnancy after tummy tuck. You can also go online to any number of pregnancy discussion groups and read the stories of multiple women who are pregnant after a tummy tuck. Not all of them will follow up, but from the ones that do, you will see that this myth is patently false.

Myth #2: You Will Experience Significant Pain during Pregnancy after a Tummy Tuck

One of the things that some people pass around about pregnancy after a tummy tuck is that as your belly stretches it will painfully pull out the permanent sutures used to tighten your abdominal muscles. However, this is not true. Think of it, your abdominal muscles stretched out the first time, why wouldn't they do the same now? If you go to the forums, you will see that few of the women who have pregnancies following tummy tucks report any unusual or excessive pain. It's possible, but very unlikely.

Myth #3: Your Risk of Complications Are Increased with Pregnancy after a Tummy Tuck

There are no published studies on the risk of complications in pregnancy after a tummy tuck, so any discussion about the actual level of risk is purely theoretical. However, there is no evidence to suggest that the level of risk is increased. The only case studies seem to be related to successful, complication-free pregnancies after tummy tucks, so there seems to be no reason for concern. That said, pregnancy is, of course, never risk free, and every pregnancy is different, so you may experience complications that may or may not relate to your tummy tuck.

Fact: Pregnancy Will Likely Ruin Your Tummy Tuck Results

Unlike breast augmentation, whose results will generally endure through pregnancy, tummy tuck results are generally ruined by pregnancy. If you are considering a tummy tuck, you should wait until you are finished having children. Everything changes in life, so you may change your mind and decide you want more, or you may have an accidental pregnancy. In that case, you need to be prepared in case your results will be ruined. You also need to understand that you may not be able to see the same quality of results even if you have another tummy tuck.

If you have more questions about pregnancy and tummy tuck, it is best to consult with a plastic surgeon. If you are in the Tampa area, please visit the website of Gayoso Plastic Surgery for more information at www.gayosoplasticsurgery.com.

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