Liposuction techniques have dramatically improved since their early days. If you’ve heard stories of pain and a long recovery with activity restrictions lasting three weeks or longer, it’s time to revisit the procedure and change your perspective.
In the hands of skilled plastic surgeon Rafael C. Cabrera, MD, FACS, at Plastic Surgery Specialists of Boca Raton, you can achieve optimal recovery quickly and with little effort. Here’s what you should know.
You can depend on a fast, nearly pain-free recovery because we perform tumescent liposuction using a specialized anesthetic. Tumescent anesthesia contains a precise mix of three ingredients: lidocaine, saline, and epinephrine.
We inject the solution into the targeted fat pocket, where these ingredients improve your experience by:
The anesthetic prevents pain during your liposuction and for about 24 hours afterward. When the anesthetic wears off, most people only need an over-the-counter medication to relieve any remaining discomfort.
Epinephrine tightens the blood vessels, dramatically minimizing blood loss during your procedure. This medication also ensures longer-lasting pain relief by prolonging the effect of the anesthesia.
The fat cells become engorged and firm from the tumescent solution. As a result, the fat is easier to remove without damaging the surrounding tissues.
Traditional liposuction required a lengthy recovery because it caused trauma, bleeding, pain, swelling, and bruising. By comparison, tumescent anesthesia reduces trauma, bleeding, and pain and causes minimal swelling and bruising. These changes pave the way to a faster recovery.
Most of our patients plan on taking a few days off to support healing and give any swelling and bruising time to disappear. We also recommend avoiding intensive or strenuous activities for a week. You’ll feel great and can return to work and most activities in a few days or a week at most.
How does that compare to liposuction without tumescent anesthesia? Recovery guidelines for traditional liposuction tell you to wait two to three weeks to go back to work, advise that swelling and bruising subside in four to five weeks, and recommend gentle exercise after six weeks!
Stopping smoking before your liposuction and not smoking during your recovery is one of the most crucial steps you can take to optimize your recovery. Using any nicotine-containing product, whether smoking cigarettes or vaping, slows healing by tightening blood vessels and limiting the blood supply.
You’ll also regain optimal health faster by taking care of yourself. Despite the benefits of tumescent anesthesia, liposuction is still a minimally invasive procedure that takes a toll on your body.
Getting plenty of rest, staying hydrated, and eating nutritious foods are essential to support healing. All wounds, small and large, require nutrients like protein, zinc, and vitamins C, E, and B12 to heal. Your recovery takes longer if your body’s healing process is sluggish due to a lack of energy and nutrients.
You’ll experience the best possible recovery from liposuction with exceptional care at Plastic Surgery Specialists of Boca Raton. Call the office or book online if you have questions or want to schedule a liposuction consultation.
