How to Prepare for Liposuction Surgery

Tumescent liposuction is the preferred method of liposuction among board-certified plastic surgeons. Pre- and post-operative guidelines vary among doctors. Here are the basics.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Loose Clothing

1. Research your procedure thoroughly. Understanding it will help calm your anxieties and hasten your recovery.
2. Stop taking all medicines (such as aspirin) that can interfere with clotting two weeks prior to your surgery. Check with your surgeon for specifics. Vitamin E can interfere with clotting as well.
3. Quit smoking two weeks prior to your procedure. It interferes with healing.
4. Make sure you've got everything you'll need after surgery, including medications. You don't want to have to make trips to the store post-op.
5. Forego shaving any hairs near the surgical site, 24 hours or longer, before the surgery. Shaving over the liposuction region before surgery can cause ingrown hairs after the surgery.
6. Don't eat or drink after midnight the night before the procedure.
7. Sign a surgical consent form.
8. Be sure to tell your doctor about every medicine you are allergic to.
9. Wear loose-fitting clothes. After the procedure, you will want to slip into something soft and unbinding.
10. Ask someone to drive you to and from the procedure, since you'll feel weak afterward.

Tips & Warnings

• This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.