One of the most common questions I hear from patients who are considering liposuction is regarding how soon after getting liposuction they can return to exercise.
If they have the type of liposuction I perform, which is done totally under local anesthesia, they can return to physical activity very quickly. In fact, I recommend that patients be active the very next day after having their fat removed. Part of my post-operative instructions is to actually be active and to go for a long walk the very next day.
Patients can usually return to traditional means of exercising like gym workouts and cycling within a few days after having their procedure. How quickly one can return depends on how much and what areas are suctioned. Patients who have a large amount of fat removed will be a little more swollen and require longer to recover. Likewise, certain areas the the arms and outer thighs are quicker to recover.
Patients can return to exercising quickly after having liposuction under local anesthesia because this technique minimizes trauma to the tissues. Trauma is minimized because the local anesthesia infused into the area makes it easier to target the fat and very small instruments (called cannulas) are used to remove it. Other techniques that are more aggressive may require longer to recover.
