Liposuction - Related FAQ's

Q: Is liposuction painful?

A: Normally the anesthetic given via tumescent local anesthesia is a slow gentle and comfortable process enabling the surgeon to perform liposuction without the patient feeling pain during the liposuction. Sometimes there is a tender area but if this is noticed, the physician stops the motion of the cannula immediately and can administer more anesthetic. There is some discomfort after surgery and this improves for most patients quickly. Many people feel quite comfortable during the procedure and return to their exercise within a week or two.

Q: I have fat ankles and want liposuction. Is this possible?

A: Liposuction of the lower leg and ankles can be done but the convalescence is greater as swelling takes longer to resolve in this location than the upper body.

Q: I had liposuction by one physician and had 400ccs of fat removed but my friend, who had her surgery done by a different surgeon had 900ccs of fat liposuctioned. Will I get as good a result as my friend?

A: You might get even a better result. It depends on how your healing properties are, how much excess fat you had in the cosmetic area treated by liposuction, and how much fat your friend had in their area before liposuction.

Q: I had liposuction a couple of weeks ago and have tender bruises that feel firm. What can be done with them?

A: Usually these are temporary bruises but you should be evaluated by your surgeon to determine if they are hematomas. Depending on how long after surgery someone demonstrates hematomas, warm compresses may be recommended to help the body speed up healing. They often go away on their own but can leave darker skin color from left over iron. Rarely the hematomas can remain and develop a lot of collagen (fibrosis) as a response to the healing and they can become very, very hard.

Related FAQ's

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