After your procedure has been completed, you’ve rested and been discharged by a nurse from recovery and your trusted transportation has arrived – you are ready to go home and start the healing process! It is highly recommended to have someone that will stay with you for the first 12-24 hours to make sure your recovery is going smoothly. If necessary, there are nursing services available (at an additional cost) to stay with you if a friend or family member is unable to be with you.

 The healing process will look different for everyone and their unique circumstances. For instance, the more areas you’ve had treated and the more fat that has been removed, the longer your healing process may take. Other health factors can play a role also; your age, lifestyle habits such as drinking and smoking, your diet, your fitness prior to surgery and other variables in your medical history.  Typically, the closer you are to your health and weight goals before the surgery, the faster you will recover and see results.

 Your recovery space is important! Make sure to have a few things ready and in place before you have your surgery so that when you return, everything is in order.

Some of these include:

• Prescriptions and other medications and supplies that are recommended by the medical staff

• Cover your mattress and furniture with a layer of plastic (such as a garbage bag) and use old or dark colored sheets and blankets that you don’t mind being stained or ruined.

• Have plenty of water and healthy food on hand

• Have plans in place to allow yourself the ability to stay home and rest for the next 48 hours at a minimum. This includes child care assistance, help with errands and meal prep, work accommodations, etc..

Again, recovery is different for everyone but generally speaking you should be able to return to normal, light activity within 48 hours. For the first 24 hours you may also experience some of the tumescent fluid draining from the insertion sites. This fluid can be pink in color but it is nothing to be alarmed about.You will experience some combination of soreness, bruising, swelling and tenderness. These side effects vary greatly from patient to patient but they are to be expected and can last for days, weeks or even months. Another common side effect is to feel “lumps and bumps” under the skin around the area of treatment. Once it becomes comfortable, massage the area gently to accelerate the dissipation of these lumps.

 It is recommended that you take the remainder of the surgery day to rest but we advise that you should be up and moving around with light activity immediately. This will help reduce inflammation and swelling as well as prevent some adverse complications such as blood clots. Also, wearing the garment(s) you received upon discharge is of the utmost importance. It will assist in skin contraction as well as prevent discomfort and excessive swelling. Those garments should be worn for 23 out of 24 hours a day for the first 2 weeks (preferably even longer if possible) only taking them off to shower or to wash them.

 A nurse will be in contact with you at various times throughout your recovery to ensure that everything is progressing as it should and to answer any questions that you may have. If, for some reason, you have a more urgent concern, do not hesitate to contact the office and ask to speak with a nurse.

 After the first 2 weeks of healing, assuming everything is progressing normally, you may resume your workouts and other moderate physical activities.

 Once the first 2 weeks of healing have passed, you’re probably wondering – “when will I get to see the results!?”. Occasionally, results can be seen almost immediately but most people will start to see results at about the 1 month mark. This is due to the fact that, despite externally things are looking good, there is still a lot of internal healing taking place and some significant swelling will still be present.  At 3 months post-op, you should expect to be about 75% of the way there and your final results will be seen at approximately 6 months post-op. Regular exercise and compression garments can assist in the reduction of swelling but your body will heal at its own pace. Be patient – your new body is there and will reveal itself soon!