Compression Garment after Liposuction

The photograph above is a mommy makeover. The liposuction portion was VASER lipo 360, combined with a modified abdominal skin resection and a lateral thigh and buttock tuck. The garment plan in the rest of this explanation is the liposuction plan. More on that ultrasound method is on the VASER high definition liposuction page, and the resection is a form of tummy tuck.

A compression garment after liposuction only works on the skin it actually covers. A binder that stops above a treated flank, or shorts that stop above a treated thigh, leave that strip without the pressure the rest of the field is getting. The piece is chosen so the entire treated surface is inside it.

Holding the area still is the other job. The garment supports the surgical site so the tissues can adhere to the new contour. That adherence is how the risk of a seroma or a hematoma is lowered, and how the risk of surface irregularities is lowered. Liposuction risks include those fluid collections. The garment is one of the measures used against them. It is also used so the skin retracts onto the new shape rather than sagging off it, and so the skin has even support while scars are forming. Gentle pressure is also described as helping control bleeding in the early days. Even pressure, better circulation, and that adherence are the reasons given for a smoother surface.

Pain and discomfort are managed with the same support. The garment is not a pain medicine. It is the external pressure and the stability while liposuction recovery is underway. High definition liposuction and a standard debulk use the same garment logic: cover the treated field, and keep the pressure on while the swelling is active. Body contouring that includes suction uses that field as the map for the garment.

The fit is snug, and it is not overly tight. It has to cover the full extent of the treated area. As the swelling drops, the same garment gets looser. It is then adjusted, and it may be exchanged for a smaller size so the pressure does not fall off just because the limb or the trunk is smaller.

A compression garment after liposuction that was right on day one can be too loose two weeks later. The smaller size is a response to that change. The timing comes from how fast that person's swelling is leaving. Two people with the same operation can lose swelling at different speeds, so a garment that is still snug on one of them can be loose on the other in the same week. A garment that rolls, gaps, or no longer covers a treated edge has stopped doing the job, even if it was the size chosen on the day of surgery.

Wear time depends on how much fat was removed, which liposuction method was used, the surgeon's instruction, and how the person is healing. Early on, more support is used. The pressure is eased as the body heals.

The early instruction is 24 hours a day for the first few weeks. After that initial period, wear can shift to mostly at night. As healing continues, a less bulky garment can replace the first one, when the surgeon says so.

Separate from that clock, the total wear is at least six weeks. During that stretch the garment changes from a stage one garment to a stage two garment, so the compression matches the stage of healing. The 24-hour wear is the opening part of that span, and the nights come after it. A less bulky garment is a later change of piece, used when the surgeon clears it. The smaller third garment after one month is a change of size. Both sit inside the six weeks. They do not replace those six weeks.

Wash the garment regularly and air dry it. A dirty garment sitting on fresh incisions is an infection problem. The spare exists so there is a clean one ready when the worn one goes into the wash. People who are in the garment for the longer stretch need that rotation the whole time, not only for the first week.

A compression garment after liposuction is adjusted when the swelling changes, including the move to that smaller third garment when it is used. Fit is rechecked as the body gets smaller. A garment that has stretched out or that no longer covers the treated field is replaced.

Leaving the garment off raises the swelling. Recovery gets longer, and the area is more uncomfortable. Without the steady pressure, the contour is more likely to heal unevenly. The risk of a seroma or a hematoma also goes up. The garment is the support used to keep those from becoming the result.