Liposuction surgery, while it has become very popular and is performed very often, should never be treated like a routine procedure. Despite the fact that liposuction is considered safe and effective for qualifying patients, it should still be seen as a major surgery that carries risks. When you are planning your liposuction, it is essential to take every step recommended by your surgeon in order to have a safe, low-risk procedure and a smooth liposuction recovery. Follow these steps before your liposuction to protect yourself and get your best results.
Don’t Omit Health Details During Your Liposuction Consultation
Before your surgery, you’ll meet with your plastic surgeon for a liposuction consultation. During this meeting, you will be asked many questions about your health status, your medical history, your previous surgical experiences, and your desired liposuction results. It is essential that you answer these questions honestly and with as many details as possible. Omitting information because you are afraid you will be refused treatment is a dangerous idea. Without a complete medical history, your plastic surgeon won’t be able to prepare against your unique risk factors to deliver the safe, effective liposuction results you want to see. Protect yourself from unnecessary complications by being open and honest during your consultation.
Avoid Harmful Medications Prior to Your Surgery
For the two weeks leading up to your liposuction surgery, you will need to follow your surgeon’s advice closely to remove certain medications from your routine. Some medications, supplements, and even certain vitamins can increase your risk for post-surgical complications like excessive bleeding, high blood pressure, or poor healing, among others.
Before your liposuction surgery, you should avoid taking aspirin, ibuprofen, other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, nutritional supplements, vitamin E, some birth control medications, and herbal therapies. If you have any questions about what is safe or unsafe to use before your liposuction, talk to your plastic surgeon. It’s always better to be overly cautious when your health and safety could be on the line.
Avoid Smoking Prior to Surgery
Smoking before any surgery can increase your risks for delayed healing, bleeding, and other dangerous complications. You should stop smoking at least one month prior to your liposuction surgery and continue to avoid smoking for at least one month after your procedure. Smoking can reduce blood flow through the circulatory system, which would restrict the body’s ability to heal during your critical post-surgical recovery.
Avoid Losing or Gaining Weight Before Liposuction
Once your liposuction consultation is over and your surgery is scheduled, it may be tempting to try to drop a few extra pounds in advance to enhance your results. Losing weight before your surgery could affect your final results, especially if you lose a significant amount of weight. Avoid crash diets, elimination diets, or any other extreme measures to lose weight. Not only will your body be weakened or malnourished during surgery, but you will also be at a greater risk of gaining back your weight after surgery. Excessive weight gain after liposuction can be very dangerous and negatively affect your surgical results.
What Not to Do the Day Before Surgery
When you’re preparing yourself for liposuction surgery, the day or two prior to surgery are very important. Make sure you avoid these habits or actions right before surgery:
- Shaving. Don’t shave the area around your surgical site at least 24 hours before your liposuction procedure. Shaving could lead to ingrown hairs after surgery and a potential infection.
- Tight clothing. Don’t show up for your surgery in tight or uncomfortable clothing. You’ll want to be as comfortable as possible for your trip home afterwards.
- Driving yourself to surgery. You need someone to drive you to and from your surgery, so plan ahead with a friend or family member. After surgery, you won’t be physically able to drive safely and your surgeon will not allow you to take a taxi or public transportation. Plan ahead.
Plan Your Liposuction With a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
For successful liposuction results, it’s essential to consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon. Contact the office of Dr. Douglas S. Steinbrech, a fully trained plastic surgeon who is Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgeons, to book your consultation today. He will be happy to walk you through what you should expect from a tummy tuck procedure or any other surgery that might address your areas of concern. A specialist in Minimally Invasive Aesthetics, he incorporates this philosophy into all of his surgical and nonsurgical procedures, while aiming to get you the best results possible. Dr. Steinbrech has been selected by the Consumers’ Research Council of America as one of America’s Top Plastic Surgeons. Contact his office, located at 60 East 56th Street, Suite 3A, in New York City, by calling (646) 949-0580.
