How Long Does Vaser Lipo Swelling Last?

At the Dr. Alexandra Chambers Medical and Aesthetic Practice, one of our most popular treatments is Vaser Liposuction, a low-impact body sculpting procedure.  In our clinic, we typically remove on average three to four litres of sub-dermal fat, and the target areas are varied, including the abdomen, ankles, arms, back, buttocks, chest, chin, flanks, jowls, knees, neck, and thighs.

Vaser lipo surgery is performed with a local anaesthetic, and thanks to its pulsed ultrasound technology, it is very efficient at liquefying and removing fat.  This is in contrast to traditional liposuction, which requires general anaesthesia, and in general, is a much less effective fat removal method.  The result is that Vaser is safer, less expensive, providing better more controlled results, and, post-operatively, is much lower impact.  It is lower impact because the body recover faster from local anaesthesia, and because the skin layer suffers much less trauma.  Thanks to these reasons, it is typically possible to resume one's normal life within a day of a Vaser operation.

That said, as with any surgical procedure, there will be post-operative swelling, bruising, and numbness, and for some patients these can be a cause of distress.  Although during our consultation process we explain in significant detail what can be expected, patients typically are quite concerned. Moreover, we have noted that this topic interests patients from other clinics, as we have observed from the numerous questions about it on a wide variety of online forums and social networks.

It is for these reasons we've compiled clinical data for a sample of 129 Vaser procedures from our own clinic, and have assembled the statistics on post-operative swelling, bruising, and numbness.  The results, presented below, provide a clear picture of what can be expected, and we now make use of these figures to better communicate and reassure our own patients.  Hopefully they will also be of use to others.

In interpreting the results we present below, note that in addition to the use of compression garments, we offer all our patients manual lymphatic drainage massage as a standard part of our post-operative care.  We believe, this significantly shortens the duration of swelling.

The first graph we present illustrates the statistics for Vaser lipo swelling to subside.  The vertical height of the bars gives the percentage of patients having their swelling subside by the number of days shown under the bar on the horizontal axis.  It shows that the most common duration is 16 days, and this was the case for 40% of our patients.  The graph also indicates that 2% of our patients required up to 44 days (over six weeks) before swelling subsided, whereas 2% of them also required only 4 days to get over being swollen after a Vaser treatment.

The second graph illustrates the cumulative percentage of patients recovering from swelling after Vaser lipo.  It shows that half our patients need 14 days to recover from swelling, and that 90% of our patients have recovered from swelling after 24 days.  That's to say that 13 of the 129 patients from this sample required more than three and a half weeks before swelling subsided.  This shows that a significant number of patients will have long swelling after their operations.

The third graph shows the stats for Vaser lipo bruising to subside. The most common duration was 16 days (30% of patients), whereas one patient required 36 days.

The fourth graph show that 50% of our patients were over bruising caused by Vaser lipo after 11 days, and that 90% of them were over it after 16 days.

The fifth graph show the statistics for numbness to subside after a Vaser operation.  It shows that 16 days was the most common (25.5%), but that a significant number still had numbness up to 32 days after their procedure.

The sixth and final graph shows that 50% of our patients were over numbness after 16 days, while 90% after 30 days.

How Much Swelling Can I Expect From Vaser Lipo?

Liposuction is a popular cosmetic surgery procedure that effectively removes fat from underneath the skin.  Most procedures involve one of two popular methods; traditional liposuction or VASER liposuction.

Vaser liposuction uses ultrasound waves to break up fat after which it is removed by traditional suction methods.  Traditional liposuction involves breaking up the fat by sticking a tube or cannula to give it its medical term, under the skin and passing it backwards and forwards.  This process involves incisions to be made in the skin and can be quite rough on the areas being treated.

Vaser is a much more gentle way of breaking up fat and therefore less swelling will be apparent once the procedure is complete.  However, it is important to remember that Vaser liposuction is a surgical procedure and that some swelling is normal and to be expected.  The results of liposuction are well worth the short period of discomfort you may feel during the period before the swelling disappears.

Recovery times after Vaser are much quicker than when compared with traditional liposuction.  In fact, Vaser patients are able to partake in light exercise after only a few days, and within a couple of weeks there should be no reason why normal activities including lifting and strenuous exercise cannot be resumed.  Any dressings should still be kept on for up to six weeks in order to protect the area from infection.

The trauma experienced with Vaser is so much less than with traditional methods of liposuction that it is fast becoming one of the more popular cosmetic surgery procedures.  People no longer have time stay home in bed to recover... Vaser is a low-impact procedure, after which lets patients get on with their lives.

With Vaser there is no need for strong painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs as the procedure is so much gentler on the body and therefore only slight discomfort should be experienced.  Whilst there will be some localised swelling this should disappear after a few days as your body naturally heals the treated areas.

The best way to get an idea about recovery times and swelling is to speak to your consultant or surgeon.  They will be able to help you put aside any fears, show you before and after photos, and explain the procedure in great detail so that you know exactly what to expect.

Love Handle Removal

Love handles are an endearing term given to fatty areas on either side of the abdomen.  These areas can be very difficult to shift and are hard to target with exercise.  Trimming these areas needs a lot of dedication and changes in diet especially if you have a lot of fat to remove from these problem areas.

There are some spot toning exercises that may help, but you also need to increase your metabolic rate in order to burn fat efficiently.  The only way you can do this is with cardio or aerobic exercise and this needs to be done on a regular basis.  By continuing with a regime you may start to notice significant results both in the region of your love handles and across your body.  As long as you take in less energy (calories) than you burn you will be on the right track to a toned and sleeker physique.

Love handles are unattractive, but are also bad for our health.  Carrying significant amounts of fat around the middle can increase the risk of heart disease and other diseases such as diabetes.  An apple body shape can also indicate a cortisol imbalance.  Cortisol is a stress hormone and if this raises to high levels it can mean that fat is more likely to collect around the middle. The catch 22 is that love handles can cause stress and so the cycle continues.

Gynecomastia FAQ

Q. What is Gynecomastia?

A. Gynecomastia is characterised by breast tissue becoming overgrown in the male body.  This condition can develop at any age and can be very distressing.  The good news is that there are relatively little health risks related with this condition.  However, embarrassment and stress can often result from this condition.

Q. What is the cause of Gynecomastia?

A. Gynecomastia is generally caused by an imbalance of hormones.  This can be because of a deficiency in testosterone levels or an excess amount of estrogen in the body.  Hormone imbalances can be caused naturally or as the result of taking certain drugs or a number of health conditions.  Some anti-anxiety and anti-depression medications have been known to cause imbalances of hormones so it may be a good idea to speak to your doctor if you feel your drugs are causing gynecomastia.