Liposuction has become a popular way to get back the body that has been lost over the years. It is not suitable for people who have a lot of weight to lose and it would not normally be recommended that the whole body is treated. It is most effective on small areas that are proving difficult to improve by diet and exercise alone.
It is unlikely that any two doctors will give you exactly the same information about the procedure as they will have their own preferences and practices, so you are best to speak to a number before undergoing the procedure. This way you can find out what the options are and decide which ones you are happiest with. Knowing what is about to happen to you will take away a lot of the fear and if you approach it in the right frame of mind it will not be the ordeal you may be expecting it to be. Once you have chosen the surgeon you will use, it will be a good idea to meet him again and go through exactly what will happen. If you have spoken to a number you may not remember the exact details that this one gave you.
One of the first things you should be made aware of is the limitation of liposuction. If you are expecting miracles you may be disappointed and it will be best to know this in advance. You may decide to go ahead and hope for the best, but you may decide that this is too expensive and will be putting your body through too much if you are not getting the results you are hoping for.
Early Stage Preparation
There are certain things that most doctors will tell you and that is to give up smoking. If this cannot be done permanently you should make sure that you do not smoke for at least two months before undergoing the procedure. This may not sit lightly with the idea that you should not be stressed as giving up smoking is likely to have that effect. As a result it may be best to do this before you start the course of action that will lead you to undergoing liposuction. You will need to sign a consent form or the liposuction will not go ahead. This may seem drastic but it is normal procedure but should make you thoroughly investigate what you are getting yourself into. You should also make sure that you are in as healthy a condition as possible. Working ridiculous hours before hand in the hope that you will not return to work with a mound to catch up on will be counterproductive. So will going on a crash diet beforehand. There is no point coming out of the theatre that extra couple of pounds lighter if you are going to be weak, and also have your recovery time increased. The work will really have piled up by then.
It is important that your blood should be able to clot easily and therefore you should not take aspirin or other medication that may slow this process down. Vitamin E is another product that affects clotting and it will be a good idea to check with your doctor in case you are taking anything else and do not know the implications.
Depending on where the procedure is taking place, this next point may be difficult. It will be best not to shave any area around the site for at least 24 hours before it is carried out. If you do you may find that the hairs grow inwards in future and this can lead to many problems. It may mean that you need more surgery in order to correct this.
It is important not to eat the night before the procedure. This is something that should be on a list that the clinic will give you. They will make a list as they realize that you will be nervous, especially if it is your first procedure so they want to make sure nothing goes wrong.
There are a number of things that will not prevent the surgery or affect the outcome, but they will make the days surrounding this easier for you. Make sure that you have all your clothing and toiletries in your bag. As you will be nervous on the day that you are leaving to go to the clinic you don’t want to leave it until then as you could easily forget something. Arriving without a nightdress will not put you in the best of moods.
Post Operative Preparation
Something else that will be a problem is taking going home clothes that are too tight. The full result of the liposuction will not be in evidence for a while, and if anything you will still be a bit swollen. As your body will have been quite roughly treated it will be still tender in any case and items digging into the skin will be more painful than usual.
Stock up with all the medication and household items you will need for a few days. You will not feel like traveling to the shops and not having pain killers or milk for tea or coffee will make sure that your first few days home are more miserable than they have to be. While on the subject of medication, your surgeon will need to know what you are taking or have taken in the fairly recent past. Even if you are concerned that they may refuse to treat you, you must be honest, as it will be better to have a few lumps and bumps than a serious injury or at the worst case scenario end up dead.
It is important to have it straight in your own mind what will be done. If you know anyone who has had this treatment get them to tell you what it was like. This is especially important after you go home. There is no point worrying if there are still pains a few days later if everyone feels that way. It is also important you don’t assume the pains or any blood loss or apparent infection is normal. Make sure that you have someone who can come to your aid if you think something may have gone wrong.
It is also vital that you have details of where you can go if there is a problem. It is no good waking up at 3 am with a problem and phoning the clinic just to get an answer machine. You can just turn up at the emergency room at your local hospital, but it could be that they are busy and you may not be classed as an emergency.
The doctor should go through a number of post operative conditions with you. There will be a time set when you can walk around and do light housework, but many things will take much longer to get back to normal. If you plan to go on holiday make sure there is enough time between your procedure and your flight or you may end up disappointed at the airport.
If you prepare properly and allow for any possible outcome, you should not regret going through with this procedure. Once you have been through this the first time future procedures will not seem as daunting and experience will tell you what to do differently in future.