The recovery time for liposuction can vary depending on whether you were under local anesthesia by the tumescent technique or whether you were under general anesthesia. If under local, then you are up and about moving around the next day but you are leaking fluids for 2 days so most patients wait 2 days to go back to work. Liposuction of the chin has an even faster recovery compared to liposuction of the abdomen. Liposuction under general anesthesia the recovery period is considerably longer sometimes a week to two weeks.
Liposuction has become the most commonly performed cosmetic procedure in the United States. Since it was first introduced in the United States in the early 1980s, many refinements have been made. The most significant improvement was the use of a diluted local anesthetic instead of general anesthesia. This improvement is referred to as the tumescent technique. With the tumescent technique, liposuction patients need no general anesthesia, as contrasted with the traditional/standard liposuction methods, which do require general anesthesia with intubation, or deep intravenous sedation.
The tumescent technique is a method that provides local anesthesia to large volumes of subcutaneous fat and thus permits liposuction totally by local anesthesia. The tumescent technique eliminates both the need for general anesthesia and need for IV narcotics and sedatives. The tumescent technique utilizes natural saline solution containing a precise amount of very local anesthetic (lidocaine) and adrenaline which is injected into the fatty tissue. The injected area then becomes anesthetized. Tumescent (local anesthesia) constricts capillaries and prevents surgical blood loss, provides fluid to the body by subcutaneous injection so that no IV fluids are needed and has the best post-op pain control. It is beneficial because it significantly decreases swelling and bruising after the procedure. It also makes the procedure virtually pain free. The vast majority of patients are able to resume their normal activity within 2-3 days with no swelling or bruising. Nearly all current techniques including laser liposuction (Smart Lipo), ultrasonic liposuction (Vaser), power assisted liposuction use tumescent technique as a component of the procedure. These added devices facilitate more rapid removal of fat as well as tightening of the skin in the areas treated. The days when liposuction was performed with large amounts of blood loss and danger are long gone. In fact, I have to encourage most of my patients no to do too much on the second day since they feel remarkably well!
