If you are considering having liposuction, there is one thing that I mention during every consultation with a new patient. Wearing the garments during the recovery process is as important as the actual procedure. In fact, wearing the garment that your clinic has chosen for you is a really a must. It teaches the skin where to heal in the right position while squeezing all the extra fluid away from your drains (if your surgeon used any) or through your own lymphatic system.
Now that we introduced you to the reasons why these compression vests are so important, let's review together each and every benefit.
Prevents excessive fluids from collecting in the treated areas
As the fat is removed during the Vaser Liposuction treatment, there is the creation of a so-called "third space" in between the skin and the muscle. This space has the potential of being filled with fluid that can get trapped as the tissue regenerates. By having an even pressure on all the treated areas you will avoid a build-up of fluids that can cause aesthetic complications that may be difficult to manage and add an extra cost to your procedure. Common complications derived from the collection of fluid are Seromas and a perceived hardening of some parts of the treated areas.
Supporting your lymphatic system
For those who don't know, our body has a lymphatic system who's job is to drain excessive fluid from our bodies and help move toxins into organs that allow us to get rid of them. Any form of liposuction (Vaser Liposuction included) will inevitably damage this lymphatic system to some degree. On top of this, your own inflammatory processed will lead to the production of some fluids within the treated tissues. As the lymphatic system recovers and the treated area heals during the recovery process, the compression provided by the garments, especially when paired to a good lymphatic drainage massage can support the lymphatic system in shifting this extra amount of fluid away from the areas where the liposuction was performed.
Boosting the retraction of your skin
As an even pressure is applied onto the skin, it is forced to heal in an even and homogeneous way, preventing a wrinkled appearance. As the skin and superficial tissues evenly "stick" back onto the muscle, it helps skin retraction.
One DOES NOT FIT ALL
Every garment brand has a multitude of garments of different shapes and sizes to best fit the areas treated. Good pressure is essential to provide the good results needed. Having a loose garment is simply useless. On this note, you may think that you may feel claustrophobic when wearing them but the truth is that virtually every patient of mine has told me how comfortable they are and some of them keep on wearing them even after the post-operative period suggested by us.
When trading the abdomen and flanks we use two different kinds of garments.
A compression vest to apply even pressure across all the areas treated, and a compression binder which by applying an extra layer of pressure prevents the skin from folding inappropriately keeps the correct shape in place and squeezes all the excess fluid away from the treated areas.
Across the years we found that garments with lycra-elastic fibres provides a higher level of efficacy as well as being very comfortable. All the garments in our clinic are also Latex-free. Be mindful of the fact that non-medical compression vests can actually harm you and cause complications such as Seromas, increased scar tissue formation and increase the chances of infection.
For how long it is advised to wear them?
Every area has a different requirement. However, in view of achieving great results, here at LF Aesthetics we recommend as follows:
- Full time, meaning 24 hours a day, removing it just to take a shower for 3 weeks. This is followed by
- Part-time, meaning 12 hours a day, wearing it either during the day or at night while you are asleep.
When performing Vaser Liposuction in the sub-mental area (under the chin) we recommend to keep the compression garment on full time for the first 3 days and part-time for other 7 days.
Follow our instructions!
It would be a shame to go through a procedure and have unremarkable results when you could have great results by following the instructions we gave you at our clinic. As we usually say, do it properly or don't do it at all. At our clinic, we use LIPOELASTIC products.
Article by Dr. Leonardo Fasano, liposuction expert for LF Aesthetics
Website: www.drleonardofasano.co.uk
Instagram: @drleonardofasano
