Liposuction Recovery: A Guide to Helping Your Loved One

Although liposuction is not considered major surgery, it does disrupt major body systems. If you have the time to help someone after a liposuction procedure is over, you may hasten recovery and relieve some anxiety.

Things You'll Need

• Bedsheets
• Jell-O®
• Ginger Ales
• Drinking Straws
• Saltine Crackers
• Women Outside Magazine
• National Geographic Magazine
• Entertainment Weekly Magazine
• Discover Magazine
• Tiger Beat Magazine
• MAD magazines
• Rolling Stone Magazine

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Drive the patient home after surgery. She'll still be affected by the anesthesia.

• 2

  Help her back and forth to the bathroom. Urination will increase for the first few hours after surgery.

• 3

  Prepare a light meal a few hours after you get home. Choose clear soups, gelatin, ginger ale and crackers.

• 4

  Make sure your patient has her pain medication within reach. This will encourage her to take it when she needs it.

• 5

  Provide a glass of cold water with a flexible drinking straw at the bedside, to simplify medicine taking.

• 6

  Help her into and out of her compression garments, as needed. Although the garments have zippers and hooks, if a patient is feeling weak from surgery, she will appreciate your assistance.

• 7

  Change the sheets on your patient's bed if it becomes damp from liposuction drainage.

• 8

  Do all the heavy lifting, cleaning and bending over for a few days post-op.

• 9

  Help take your patient's mind off of her liposuction. Rent a video, read aloud or share some juicy gossip with her.