The best candidates for liposuction are individuals who have a normal weight or are modestly overweight, and who have pockets of fat that are resistant to the usual weight-loss techniques such as following a healthy diet and regular exercise.

Many areas can be treated, such as upper and lower abdomen, hips, thighs, bra-line, back, arms and underneath the chin.

Bruising, swelling, paraesthesia (altered skin feeling/sensation, takes 3-6 months to settle), lumpiness/contour irregularity (minimized significantly by wearing the compression garment 24/7 for 6 weeks), infection (less than 1%) and rarely seroma (fluid collection under the skin).

Pain relief:

Most patients will experience some pain after their procedure, more so in the first few days after your surgery. The severity of pain experienced varies between individuals based on their tolerance for pain and the surgical technique used. Dr. Tregaskiss will provide you with a prescription for pain relief medication which can be tailored to each individual. Prior to and during surgery you will receive both a combination of analgesics (painkillers) and local anesthetics to minimize post-surgery pain. The post-surgery pain can be well controlled with tablet analgesics that will be prescribed before discharge from the surgery centre . Some pain medications can cause constipation so remember to stay well-hydrated and consider a stool softener to help.

Nausea and sickness:

Some people find that the anesthetic medication used during surgery can cause them to feel nauseous. You can try taking ginger drinks or Gravol tablets from the pharmacy, but if it persists a prescription for stronger anti-sickness medication can be provided. Even if you are feeling sick it is important to keep taking fluids to prevent dehydration and constipation.

Recovery will vary widely depending on the areas and extent of liposuction performed and can be anything from a couple of days to a couple of weeks.

Showering and bathing:

Showering can commence the day after surgery as your dressings are showerproof.Do not shower in very hot water, rather use a more moderate water temperature. At the end of the second week it is usually OK to start taking baths, if Dr. Tregaskiss is happy with your healing.

Exercise:

Very light regular daily activities are allowed by day 2 after surgery, but these may be sore initially. Depending on the recovery and the first post-operative visit, you can increase your activity level after the first week, but this will depend of the area and extent of liposuction and you will be advised on specific instructions by Dr. Tregaskiss.

Driving:

You must not drive for 48 hours after a general anesthetic. Driving can typically begin again 3-7 days post-surgery.

Work:

Return to work depends very much on the individual and the type of work activity you perform. Most individuals can return to work in some capacity 1-2 weeks post-surgery (typically 1 weeks).

Follow-up:

Follow-up is tailored to the individual case but typically occurs, 1-2 weeks post-surgery, 4-6 weeks, and 3-6 months post-surgery.

You will have 2-4 very small (5-7mm) incisions in different areas for the liposuction. Dr. Tregaskiss will make every effort to hide these in inconspicuous areas.

Liposuction cannot tighten skin that is loose or baggy, it cannot remove stretch marks or eliminate cellulite. It also is not a substitute for health diet and exercise.

Areas that have had liposuction can with weight gain increase in size again, although typically not as readily as they did prior to the liposuction. The bottom line however, is that long-term aesthetic outcome is at risk if you gain significant weight after liposuction.

If it is likely that you will have loose skin after liposuction then Dr. Tregaskiss will be able to assess this during your initial consultation and may recommend an incision to remove extra skin at the same time.

You will be provided with a compression garment after your surgery that you must wear for 6 weeks. It is essential that you wear this at all times for 6 weeks post-operatively for the optimal cosmetic outcome.