How to Prevent Weight Gain after Liposuction

Liposuction has become a popular form of cosmetic surgery to immediately remove fat from problem areas of the body. The procedure has helped millions of people remove excess fat. However, after liposuction, it is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle, including a healthy diet and regular exercise. If patients adopt unhealthy habits, they may gain the weight back after liposuction. In this blog post, we provide tips on how you can prevent weight gain after liposuction.

Expect Swelling

Immediately after liposuction, as with many medical procedures and surgeries, there will be swelling in the treatment area, which may not lessen until a couple of months into recovery. This can surprise liposuction patients, as they may not be able to see an immediate difference in the mirror or on the scale. However, in most cases, swelling goes down enough by the second or third week after surgery so patients can see results.

During the liposuction recovery period, patients are unable to engage in strenuous activity, and so exercise is typically minimized. To prevent weight gain in the six weeks after liposuction, you should go for several light to moderate walks each day, and consume a healthy diet.

Pay Attention

One of the biggest factors contributing to weight gain after liposuction is complacency. Patients have “fixed” their problem areas and so relax on diet and exercise, thereby causing problem areas to return.

Cosmetic surgeons will advise liposuction patients to exercise and maintain a healthy lifestyle, as liposuction is simply removing fat from existing problem areas, not providing a long-term weight loss tool. As soon as proper recovery time has passed, it is essential to implement changes that will prevent fat from returning.

Make a Plan

Even before a liposuction procedure, it is a good idea for a patient to have a future plan for keeping excess fat from building up. Some people like to keep a journal as a way to track food intake and exercise. Since diet can be a major contributing factor to weight gain after liposuction, some doctors recommend implementing dietary changes before a procedure, so that a patient does not have to try and change his or her diet while worrying about the other factors related to recovery.

Drinking water and staying hydrated will do wonders for keeping a functioning metabolism and optimal overall health. This reduces healing times and can help prevent future weight gain.

Stretching is an essential component to keeping weight off after liposuction, as it promotes healthy circulation and blood flow, helpful for healing and minimizing fat. More intensive stretching, like certain forms of yoga that incorporate high heat, will also help burn off extra calories.

Gaining weight after a liposuction procedure can be incredibly frustrating, but it doesn’t have to happen. Preparing before a procedure by starting an exercise regime and implementing a healthy diet can help liposuction patients minimize weight gain during the sedentary period immediately following surgery. Furthermore, this makes implementing healthy lifestyle changes much easier, which is the only way to truly stop gaining weight after liposuction.

For more information, contact Jefferson Plastic Surgery today.