Patients should be counseled preoperatively regarding the natural postoperative changes encountered after liposuction surgery. Bruising and discoloration are variable after closed--liposuction technique and last for 7 to 21 days. Although rare, prolonged pigment changes in the form of hemosiderin deposits can occur. Postoperative edema and induration may persist for weeks to months, and at times this swelling may be sufficient to mimic the original contour problem. A wide elastic band (with padding, to prevent ear injury) is used for a week, day and night, and then at night for an additional 4 weeks. This band seems to effectively limit the majority of swelling and improves irregularities. As the edema resolves, it is not uncommon to find subtle irregularities. Irregularities that become evident are almost always transient and treated with reassurance, gentle massage, and, occasionally, dilute steroid injection. Short-term numbness and tingling are frequently described and are always discussed in the preoperative visit. This is most important in male patients, who must exercise extra caution with shaving in the early postoperative period.
Postoperative discomfort after primary liposuction is variable. Most patients resume their normal activities within 2 to 3 days of the procedure. Patients are reminded to refrain from active headand neck movement for 2 weeks to ensure that the newly undermined soft-tissue envelope readheres to the subcutaneous bed. Final results with liposuction are varied, and upward of 6 months may be needed for skin contracture and shrinkage.
