Some people decide to have liposuction done at some point in their life. There are a few things you will need to know about liposuction and even do before having it done. Here are the details of before, during, and after having liposuction done.
Before
Before you get this type of surgery done, you will need to see your doctor to get a complete physical to ensure you are the right candidate for it. You will also have to answer all of your doctor’s questions. He or she will want to know your reasons for getting liposuction done. He or she will need to know what type of medications you are taking which includes herbal, prescribed, and even non-prescription medications. It is also best if you tell your doctor about any medical conditions you might have. He or she will discuss everything with you including how the procedure will work during and what you can expect after. They will also let you know what you will have to do after the surgery is done to help you recuperate.
If you have any questions, which you surely should, he or she will be able to answer all of them and be able to put your mind at ease. The doctor will inform you that you will need to have someone else drive you to the hospital for the surgery because you will not be able to drive yourself home. During the recovery process, you will be tired.
The doctor will also prescribe you an antibiotic to take before and after to prevent any type of infections.
During
Before the procedure actually starts, you will be marked where the fat will be removed. This means the surgeon will make a mark on your skin to show where he or she will make the incision. Then, he or she will give you local anesthesia to keep you from feeling any pain. Sometimes, the surgeon will give you an anesthesia to put you to sleep and sometimes you will be awake during the whole thing. Also, there will be a lot of fluids pumped into you during the liposuction. These fluids include salt water and epinephrine which will prevent bleeding during the procedure. Once the anesthesia starts working to either put you to sleep or just prevent you from feeling anything, the surgeon will then make the incision. He or she will also insert a tube, called a canula which is a hollow tube to suck the fat out of your body. The fat will then go into a flask along with some fluid. This is kept in this flask during the surgery in case some of the fluid has to be replaced since you will be losing a lot of it.
After
After the surgery is over, you will need to ask your doctor when you will be able to return home. You have the option of staying in the hospital the night of the surgery, right after it is over or you can leave. This, of course, depends on where the procedure is done. You will also need to find out when you will be able to return to work or if you will need to take a leave of absence until you recover.
You will also need to be made aware that the cuts that were made for the fat to be removed might leak some fluid. If this happens, you will need to have a drainage tube inserted to get rid of this fluid. The doctor may or may not provide you with special tight clothing to wear after the surgery. If he or she does not provide you with the type of clothing you need, they will tell you where to buy it from before the surgery even begins. Your surgeon will tell you how long you should wear this clothing and it will normally be for a few weeks afterwards.
He or she will also tell you what you can and cannot do after surgery. They will prescribe you antibiotics to prevent any infection and will let you know what type of activity you can do. Once the anesthesia wears off, you may be in some pain for a little while so let your doctor know if the pain gets too severe for you to handle. The surgeon will also provide you with after-care instructions.