Swelling: Some patients find they look bigger after liposuction than they did before. If this happens to you, don't worry. Liposuction can remove pounds of fat, but right after the procedure, fluid retention and swelling are typical. These post-surgical effects are temporary and usually resolve within a few weeks.
After liposuction surgery, it normally takes three to four weeks for swelling to disappear. Every patient is different, however, and has their own experience. In some rare cases, swelling can continue for months. Liposuction is a surgical procedure and does carry recovery time.
For a short while after the procedure, you will feel like you look larger or gained weight. Don't panic! While liposuction can remove up to 8 – 10 pounds of unwanted fat cells, swelling and fluid retention can cause you to look bloated in the target area.
Patients often experience a rapid weight gain following the procedure as the body aims to recoup fat and the affected areas will fill with fluid that the body uses to heal.
Three weeks after liposuction, you'll be starting to feel more normal. Some of the initial swelling will have subsided. You'll be far less sore and bruised. You'll be able to go back to work, and you'll be resuming some of your normal activities.
Depending on how much fat is removed, you can expect to see final results between 1-3 months after the procedure.
Lumps can feel hard for several weeks after a procedure, but eventually, they dissipate, and the skin returns to normal. Patients will start to see significant improvement in lumps three to four weeks after the procedure when the swelling has significantly subsided and the skin has fully conformed over the new contour.
Summary. Liposuction is the removal of fat cells from areas in the body that do not respond to weight loss from diet and exercise. However, weight gain is still possible after liposuction because fat is deposited into fat cells that were not treated by liposuction.
Post-operative swelling can last for several months and many patients may actually increase in weight over the first month after surgery due to swelling and retained “water weight.” Don't worry, this weight gain and swelling is only temporary and it will begin to drop off as the healing process progresses.
If You Gain Weight After Liposuction, It May Come Back to Your Treated Areas. Every 7 to 8 years, your body regenerates fat cells. This means that if you do gain weight after liposuction, it is possible that you will regain some of the weight in the areas that were originally treated when fat cells regenerate.
Weeks 3-5. Around the one-month mark is when patients typically no longer feel pain or soreness. You may still see swelling, but this is normal. Swelling can take months to completely subside.
Liposuction can remove pounds of fat, but right after the procedure, fluid retention and swelling are typical. These post-surgical effects are temporary and usually resolve within a few weeks. Some minor swelling can remain for several months.
With liposuction you can lose about 2 sizes. 6 to 7 litres of fat can be removed at most, depending on which areas you are having treated. Liposuction is especially suitable if you want to reduce local accumulation of fat that dieting and plenty of exercise have been unable to shift.
6 Weeks After
The six-week mark is the point at which the majority of the bruising and swelling from the liposuction procedure has subsided; however, some lingering swelling may last a bit longer. Compression garments should be worn up until this point.
Drink plenty of water.
As mentioned earlier, sodium causes water retention and increases liposuction swelling. However, you can flush out the excess sodium from your system by drinking at least six glasses of water daily.
Exercising After Liposuction
You should start taking several short walks throughout the day within one to two days of liposuction. This helps to improve circulation, reduce swelling, and speed the recovery process.
Liposuction permanently reduces the number of fat cells in a treated area. If you gain weight after liposuction, however, the non-treated areas will become larger. The remaining fat cells in the treated area can enlarge, but they will not multiply.
So what all this actually means is that your metabolism will start to race quicker over the first month to three months after liposuctioning.
It can cause your weight to fluctuate by 2-4lbs in a day. Edema, therefore, can cause weight gain after your surgical procedure. In fact, some patients see a weight gain of as much as 10 pounds due to edema after surgery. Fortunately, edema isn't usually a cause for medical concern following a surgical procedure.
After 2 Weeks: By now most of the swelling has typically subsided but you may still see irregularities. You may also begin to notice loose skin in the areas treated with liposuction. This is normal and your skin will continue to tighten over the next 2-3 months.
Like other surgical procedures, liposuction causes swelling, which makes it difficult to see results. Instead of looking trim and toned, post-operative swelling may cause you to look as though you are retaining water.
Post-op soreness and bruising are typically almost gone by one month post-op, and swelling should be dramatically reduced—your new, slimmer body contours are taking shape, and while results won't be final for a couple more months, they're pretty close!