Liposuction (Lipoplasty)
What will the day of surgery be like?
Your liposuction may be performed in a hospital, free-standing ambulatory facility or office-based surgical suite.
Medications are administered for your comfort during the surgical procedure. You and your plastic surgeon will have decided in advance what type of anesthesia is to be used, either local anesthesia, intravenous sedation, and epidural block or general anesthesia. For your safety during the operation, various monitors are used to check your heart, blood pressure, pulse and the amount of oxygen circulating in your blood.
When surgery is completed, you will be taken into a recovery area where you will continue to be closely monitored. There may be some discomfort, but this can be controlled by medication which you may continue taking at home. A compressive dressing such as an elasticized bandage, sponge or specially designed garment may have been placed over the areas that were suctioned. Your surgeon will tell you how long you should wear the garment and will instruct you on how to remove it so that you may shower or bathe.
You probably will be permitted to go home after a few hours, although some patients may stay overnight in the hospital or surgical facility.