Liposuction & Liposculpture

 

What happens before the procedure?

You’ll need a full consultation with the doctor and nurses to ensure you’re physically fit to have this procedure. Although it’s a forgiving and safe procedure, being in reasonable physical health is important. A consent form with all the risks and benefits will also be extensively covered.

You must avoid blood-thinning medications, such as aspirin and anti-inflammatory pills, for at least one week before the procedure. If you’re seeing a specialist, please ask their opinion about your fitness for this procedure.

Alcohol should be avoided for at least 24 hours before the procedure. Smokers must quit 2 weeks before and for 6 weeks afterwards. We consider smoking a high risk for any procedure, so please make yourself aware of the cancellation policy.

An information package will be given to you covering medications, blood tests and other instructions. You should commence antibiotics the night before and wash in an antiseptic solution the morning of the procedure, including washing your hair.

A blood test should be undertaken at least 1 week before the procedure.

What happens on the day of the procedure?

You must be on time for your procedure. This means being at the clinic at least half an hour before the start time. Your nurse will perform an extensive admission, including checking that you have fasted for at least 6 hours.

Patients who have reflux should continue their anti-reflux medication. Most medications should be continued other than blood-thinning medications. Check with the doctor before the procedure and the nurse on the day of the procedure.

You must have washed your hair and body in the antiseptic we recommended to you.

Important: If you’ve been smoking in the last 2 weeks, the procedure will be cancelled and payment won’t be refunded.

Photographs will be taken before you’re fitted with a gown. In theatre, a small drip will be applied, but if you’re not comfortable with needles, we can apply some numbing cream to the back of your hand. Please ask the nurse beforehand. Also, a pre-operative relaxant can be prescribed.

Full monitoring equipment will be used, including heart rate and oxygen levels in our fully-licensed day surgery. You’ll receive sedation and will go into varying degrees of sleep, not recalling any of the procedure.

What happens after the procedure?

You must be picked up by a competent adult who can assist you at home for the first night. Usually, you can expect to be in and out of the surgery in 4-5 hours. You must be fully recovered before leaving. Please inform your nurse if you suffer from nausea after anaesthetic, although the sedation used is very light.

Your nominated carer must give you medications, as the anaesthetic can make you forgetful and help you avoid a double up of medications.

Your carer must also escort you to the toilet and back, ensuring you get up slowly to avoid light-headedness. If you do become light-headed the carer should lie you down flat and elevate your legs.

Our doctors are on call 24 hours a day and will phone to ensure there are no problems. For the first night it is wise to rest completely, but perform the leg exercises and deep breathing exercises as instructed by your nurse.

The following day you’ll be up and about as normal, with discomfort levels that many describe as similar to after a heavy workout. Avoid lifting anything heavier than 2.5kgs.

The wounds will ooze raspberry cordial coloured fluid, and this is normal. Simply wear old pyjamas and lie on a towel. These wounds will close over the following day or when the oozing stops. Nursing staff will see you the following day to clean the area and close the wounds. The doctor will also check for any abnormalities.

Avoid showering for the first day. A garment will be applied and you’ll be instructed on how to care for this. As mentioned, smoking is strictly prohibited.

What happens in the following weeks?

If you have a sedentary job, you should have 4-7 days off work. Thursday is a popular day to have the procedure performed, as many people can return to work on Monday. For those with heavier jobs, 1-2 weeks off is preferable.

The return to exercise is usually quite quick. One week for light exercise, two weeks for moderate exercise and three weeks for full exercise is the usual schedule. If you do extremely intense exercise, don’t return to this level of exercise for at least six weeks.

Another good tip is to do a small amount of exercise, have the next day off and see how you feel, then slowly increase every second day.

Swimming and spas are best avoided for at least 2 weeks, or until the wounds are completely healed. Intercourse is best avoided for at least 1 week. As mentioned, smoking is strictly prohibited for 2 weeks and, if you can, try to use this break to give up for good.

The results may initially look impressive, but swelling can set in for up to 6 weeks, leading to some disappointment. You simply have to be patient with liposculpture.

The results can be as quick as 1 month, although 3 months is average for full results.

Feeling but not seeing hard lumps at approximately 2 weeks is normal, and these can last for up to 6 months. These lumps shrink back and pull the skin tighter which is of benefit.

Fluid lumps that have a wave in them should be reported to our staff. These may be seromas but are very rare. They’re usually of nuisance value only. If a wound oozes puss or becomes red, hot and swollen, you must immediately report this to us.

You should also buy a thermometer and record your temperature daily. If it’s above 37.5 degrees, please report this to the medical staff.

The maximum amount of fat that can be taken out in one procedure is 5 litres, so you must be realistic about this volume. It’s possible to do multiple procedures a few days apart and remove more than 5 litres, but this must be done cautiously. This is called ‘staged mega liposuction’. A healthy diet and regular exercise must be followed after the procedure, as this is not an excuse to eat more and do less. The improvement is permanent, but you must be aware that as you get older you’ll put on weight naturally. The fat does not shift to other areas in the body.

Dr Glenn Murray

Cosmetic Surgeon and Medical Director

Dr Glenn Murray completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at the University of Western Australia. He continued his training with the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery (ACCS); undertaking both cosmetic medicine and cosmetic surgery training. Dr Glenn Murray has trained with some of the best Cosmetic and Plastic Surgeons in the US and around the world. He is the past president of the Cosmetic Physicians Society of Australasia (CPSA) and sits on the current ACCS committee for Liposculpture. Dr Murray has a special interest in repairing botched oversees surgery and more information on this can we found here.

Dr Murray, our Medical Director, at Absolute Cosmetic Medicine is committed to providing exceptional care to every patient.  His full resume can be seen here.

Why choose Absolute Cosmetic for your Liposuction?

• We are WA Health Department licensed and a full-time cosmetic clinic.
• We’ve performed more than 7,500 liposculpture procedures.
• Dr Murray has a diploma in liposuction and is on the liposuction register. He also assisted in writing the liposuction advisory guidelines for safe practice.
• Dr Murray was originally trained by one of the grandfathers of liposuction, Dr Pierre Fournier and by other world experts, including one of the leading plastic surgeons in VASER liposculpture and high definition VASER.
• We have a very low complication rate for the procedure, and experienced nurses dedicated to after-care, plus a 24-hour on-call service.
• We have our own theatre, so there is no time pressure on the formats of the procedure.

*Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.