Your recovery time after having a liposuction procedure will depend on the type of procedure you had as well as other facts such as your age and overall health. Always talking to your surgeon to find out the specific details relating to your procedure as only your surgeon can base the facts on your body and health.

There are some natural time lines and recovery tips, however. Since there are no large incisions with a liposuction, your recovery should be relatively swift and easy. Most doctors recommend that you take four days off from strenuous work, and, depending on the site of your liposuction, you may not be able to drive for up to a week.

Fast-Paced Recovery from Liposuction

You can speed up your recovery from liposuction by following a few simple tips. Reduce your recovery time by following your doctor's orders, knowing what to expect, starting to move soon, and getting support.

Follow the Directions Exactly

Before your procedure, the surgeon will give you plenty of advice and instructions. The surgeon will probably give you a couple of prescriptions as well, and you should fill these immediately to spare yourself the hassle later.

One of the prescriptions you will receive is an antibiotic. Many doctors will have you begin taking these before the procedure to ward off any possible infections. Be sure to take these for as long as your doctor instructs.

The Night of the Procedure

The night of your procedure should be pretty relaxing. Your doctor should provide pain medication if you need it. After you arrive home, you need to find a comfortable spot and position so that you can rest. If you aren't nauseated from the anesthesia, you may want to go ahead and have a light meal. Many patients sleep very well that night due to a combination of the medicine and the relief of having the procedure completed at last.

The First Three Days

For the first three days you may experience some minor discomfort. Your incisions will be draining some solution. There may be a lot of drainage, but you shouldn't be concerned unless it changes color. While the drainage may not be comfortable, the swelling will go down much more quickly.

Many surgeons will delay the suturing of your incisions for three days until the swelling has disappeared. The delay helps improve healing. During these first few days, you will need to replace your dressings frequently. After the swelling has improved, you will only need regular Band-Aids.

Start Moving Soon

While you may want to lie in bed for several days, you really need to get up and moving after the first three days. Once you arrive home, you will probably want to spend a lot of time resting, but if you don't keep moving you could form life-threatening blood clots. Follow your doctor's orders to the tee so that you reduce the chances of blood clots and other possible complications.

Get Support

Most surgeons encourage their patients to get compression garments in order to speed healing and reduce swelling. While very tight garments were used in the past, that is no longer the case. The compression garments should not be too tight, and most surgeons will suggest that you wear the garment for a couple of weeks at most.