The day of surgery
Under local anaesthetic you go home a few hours after the operation. After a general anaesthetic many people stay one night. After a general anaesthetic, someone has to drive you home and stay with you for the first 24 hours. Fluid leaks from the small cuts for the first day or two, so expect pads or towels on the bed and the car seat.
Week 1
Sore, bruised and swollen, like a heavy workout combined with a fall. You wear the compression garment day and night, taking it off only to shower. Walk around the house every few hours from the first day to keep the blood moving. Stitches, if they aren't dissolvable, come out at about a week. Many people with desk jobs go back at the end of the first week.
Weeks 2 to 4
Bruising fades. The area may feel firm, lumpy and numb: that's normal swelling and settles slowly. Gentle exercise, such as walking briskly or a light cycle, usually comes back at three to four weeks. Keep wearing the garment for as long as your surgeon says.
Weeks 4 to 12
Clothes start to fit differently. Numbness usually goes at six to eight weeks. Avoid strenuous training, heavy lifting and contact sport until ten to twelve weeks, and always check with your surgeon first.
Three to six months
The last of the swelling goes and the final shape shows. This is when to judge the result, and when a surgeon would discuss any touch-up.
Driving and flying
Driving: not for at least 24 hours after a general anaesthetic, and not until you can do an emergency stop without pain and while not taking painkillers that make you drowsy. Check your insurer's rules too.
Flying: long flights after surgery raise the risk of a blood clot. The UK's NHS advises not flying for five to seven days after liposuction. On any trip of three hours or more, the HSE advises loose clothes, walking when you can, compression stockings and calf exercises.
Call the clinic, or 112, if
- pain gets worse instead of better, or one area becomes hot, red and very swollen
- you have a fever or feel unwell and shivery
- one calf is painful, swollen and warm (a sign of a clot): ask for an urgent GP appointment
- you have sudden breathlessness or chest pain: call 112 or 999
Questions people ask
How long do I wear the garment?
For several weeks, day and night at first. Your surgeon sets the time; it's often around six weeks.
When can I go back to work?
A desk job after about a week for most people. A physical job takes longer: ask your surgeon.
Why do I look bigger after lipo?
Swelling. The fluid used in surgery and the body's healing make the area swell for weeks. Judge the result at three to six months.