When scheduling your liposuction appointment with a plastic surgeon, often we are a little nervous. Thus we ask what we should do to prep for the procedure. It always feels better to know that you have prepared before your liposuction as best you can, right? However, what we should be asking is what we shouldn’t do before liposuction.

Most plastic surgeons will go over crucial things to do as well as what not to do before your liposuction. There are also a few smaller issues that you should know to avoid as well. While you should avoid everything your plastic surgeon tells you to, the general rule of thumb is that if you aren’t sure you should do it, you probably shouldn’t. The key to any plastic surgery procedure is to spend the night before the procedure just relaxing and not stressing out.

Shaving Before Your Liposuction

You can still shave your legs and underarms before your liposuction procedure if you so choose. However, if you think your incision site is a little too hairy and want to trim it up – don’t. This can occasionally cause ingrown hairs or impart bacteria from your razor that can invite infection to the area, and no one wants that. If you do need to be shaved, rest assured your plastic surgeon will have no problem doing it themselves in a way that will not affect the integrity of the healing area.

Taking Medication

This will likely be one of the first things you plastic surgeon will tell you not to do. You should disclose any and all medications you take frequently, even if they are just herbal therapies or vitamin pills. Taking pain relievers like aspirin or ibuprofen can increase your risk of bleeding during the procedure. And some birth control pills may also interfere and cause complications. Be sure to consult with your plastic surgeon first if you need to take anything before the procedure, but the best option is to just stop all medication unless it is necessary.

Crash Dieting

You are excited to get the weight off, and you may want to maximize results with a little dieting. However, it should be avoided for a number of reasons before and after the surgery. Crash diets leave your body malnourished and naturally weakened, which slows down how quickly you heal. You need to go into any surgery as strong as possible, even if it is a simple cosmetic surgery like liposuction. Let liposuction be done and fully heal up, then see how you feel. If you choose to go on a diet after you see your great liposuction results, then that is your decision.

Driving Yourself to the Surgery

Your plastic surgeon will advise you not to drive yourself to your liposuction appointment. While liposuction is a relatively simple procedure, you will experience some tenderness afterwards which will affect your ability to drive safely. For this reason you will need to plan ahead. Get family or friends to drive you to and from the procedure. It is unadvised to utilize public transportation either as they can often be hot spots for germs or bacteria. And that may negatively affect your healing process.

Smoking

Smoking has a number of negative affects on your health, not just in the long term, but during surgery as well. It slows healing because it restricts proper blood flow and it can put you at higher risk of bleeding during surgery. It is advised to stop smoking at least a month before surgery and only resume a month after the procedure.

By doing these small lifestyle changes and putting your body in the skilled hands of Dr. James Apesos, you can guarantee that your liposuction will go smoothly. This can assure that when you wake up you not only look great, but heal quickly. If you are interested in what liposuction can do for your body, contact us today for a consultation and to discuss problem areas on your body.