how long does it take to recover when you get lipo, and how bad does it hurt?

Answer 1

It depends on what areas you have lipo performed on, and the extent of the fat removal.

The surgery itself does not hurt, of course, because it is (and should be) done under general anesthesia.

I'll discuss the inner/outer thighs and female "love handles"/upper hip area, in which you would be very badly bruised, and will visibly heal in about a month. You will be bruised on almost all of the inner and outer parts of your thighs and upper back. There will be two small incision marks (made by the fat-removing cannula) right at the top of your thighs in the front and in the back of the thighs and two on the lower back.

The first night you will still feel the general anesthesia to some degree, so it won't hurt too much, but you'll have trouble walking. It is day/outpatient surgery if it is a smaller area of far, so you will have to walk to and from a car that evening. It would be much easier to bring a compression garment with you for the nurse to place on you (it resembles a corset for your thighs) during this time, as it restricts the blood flow and aids with healing. If you don't wear the compression garment for the first week, you'll probably be in more pain, and it's harder to walk.

Lipo is very real surgery. General anesthesia also makes many people sick, so that is unpleasant. You can also get a high fever while your body heals for the first few days.

You'd probably be able to return to work within a week if you have a desk job, otherwise recovery will take longer. You can return to exercising in about three weeks - a month, but it may still feel uncomfortable.

You will feel tender in the affected area for at least two months, but probably for about four - six months, though the tenderness is very mild after two months.

One thing that is also very unexpected is that you will also GAIN weight (probably about 10 pounds) right after your surgery and the swelling will cause the area to look LARGER for the first two weeks or more. This will gradually decrease to the desired look, probably in a few weeks, but it can be discouraging.

All in all, it does work, but you have to be realistic with your goals, and understand that you will have discomfort.

Answer 2

Well my understanding is that lyposuction, when done in the abdominal area, is the equivalent to having every muscle in that area bruised to an extent that you cannot imagine, so it's very painful. As to how long it takes to recover, I'm sure that varies from individual to individual. Be careful though, as is the case with any surgical procedure, you can get a staff infection, which is the most common cause of death after having any kind of surgery.

Answer 3

My aunt does Lipo, her patients can take as little as a few days to start feeling better to a few weeks.

Generally it depends on how much you get done, where its done, and your body.

Everyone heals at different rates. My other aunt had it done and she was up and back to work within a week, she had her outer and some inner thigh done.

Other patients of hers bled for a bit and were not mobile for two weeks.