How to Optimize Your Liposuction Results

Modern liposuction techniques are considered safe and effective. You can expect to start seeing desirable effects from your procedure in one to three months, with final results after about six months. Optimize the outcome of your liposuction treatment and help the results last as long as possible with these tips.

Choose a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon in Houston

The first step of optimizing your liposuction treatment is to select a qualified surgeon. Complications are possible following any surgery, but confirming that the surgeon you choose is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery gives you peace of mind.

Board-certified plastic surgeons have completed the required post-high school education, received advanced training in reconstructive and plastic surgery, and successfully passed rigorous written and oral exams to prove their competence. These medical professionals are also extremely knowledgeable, ethical, and able to perform safe procedures to the highest standards.

Quit Smoking Before Liposuction

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, quitting smoking one to two months before any surgery significantly lowers the risk of complications. When you inhale cigarette smoke, your blood oxygen level goes down. Since oxygen is necessary for your body to heal, you’re more likely to experience poor wound healing if you smoke right up until your liposuction procedure. Four to eight weeks of not smoking can lower this risk and other potential complications of liposuction.

Wear Your Compression Garments

When you discuss liposuction after-care with your surgeon, he or she will likely advise wearing compression garments constantly for at least two weeks after the procedure. This may seem like an inconvenience, but it reduces pain and swelling and prevents your body from filling the treatment area with fluid, which can affect the results. Compression garments also help your body take on its new and improved shape faster and more effectively.

Eat a Healthy Diet

In the days following your procedure, it’s important to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration during a time of increased swelling. You can also improve the long-term outcome by reducing your fat and calorie intake after surgery. Remember, liposuction isn’t a replacement for healthy eating. Fat grows back more slowly in the treatment area than other parts of your body, but it’s certainly still possible if you’re not careful.

Exercise

While you should avoid strenuous activity for four weeks following liposuction, you also shouldn’t become completely sedentary. Going on walks reduces the risk of blood clots, a potential complication of any surgery. Moving around also helps you feel better sooner.

Once the four-week rest period is over, adopt a fitness program to help you maintain the results of liposuction. You’re likely to see a faster outcome from exercising, which motivates you to stick with a healthier lifestyle from now on.

Texas Center for Breast and Body offers three types of liposuction procedures. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Mark Schusterman – our board-certified, award-winning plastic surgeon in Houston – for more information about which one might be right for you.