Experience of the SmartLipo Procedure


Cosmetic Surgery Enquiry

Below is a guide to the procedures and common aspects that may be involved when having a procedure such as SmartLipo.

Counselling and consultation for SmartLipo

Your doctor will ask for your reasons for wanting cosmetic surgery and what you expect will change afterwards. He will then explain if your expectations can be met or not and what to actually expect that the surgery will do for you. They may also recommend from their experience that you should consider having the procedure applied to areas of your body other than that those you may be considering, to improve your outcome. She/he will to look at your skin in well lit room and you may be asked to wear a disposable bikini. This is to inspect and identify any existing imperfections of the skin, so that they are not later wrongly identified as a result of the procedure.

If you are over 60 years old, your health may require checking to be certain that you are not suffering from an undiagnosed condition, like high blood pressure. You may be asked to take blood tests for example for the detection of cardiovascular disorders, hypertension or diabetes. Your blood may also be screened to exclude liver disease, disease that prevents blood clotting, for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and for pregnancy if you are female. Medications such as blood thinners, aspirin and NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) may also prevent blood clotting, causing complications during or after the procedure.

Lidocaine is used as an anaesthetic and can become toxic for you if you have any existing medical conditions or are taking medication that interacts with Lidocaine. You may have to stop these medicines for 1-2 weeks before surgery if possible. Therefore it is also important to disclose all medication that you are taking and to remind the doctor or medical professional if they do not prompt you to tell them about your medications.

What should I wear for consultation and treatment if I am having SmartLipo?

You should wear loose clothing that is easy to remove and that you won't find embarrassing to wear in front of your doctor or to undress/dress into and out of in front of your doctor. For instance there may not be anyone there with you, to assist in undoing zips of dresses of buttons at the back of clothing in places that you cannot reach. Some clinics advise wearing dark coloured underwear presumably for before and after photos and to avoid staining from pen ink when surgeon assesses areas to be treated. For males having SmartLipo, speedo trunks are acceptable wear and normal/everyday types of bra for females bearing in mind it may get dirty from ink. Don't wear a sports bra for procedures on the abdomen. These are hard to remove afterwards because there are no ways to unfasten them they must be removed over your head. Avoid wearing jewellery if possible and makeup because jewellery may catch on clothing/instruments and carry infections and also minimise make up again another contaminant to the operating room.

How can I prepare for SmartLipo?

You may take a mild sedative recommended by your doctor the night before the procedure and during the procedure.

You should only take paracetomal before the procedure and no other painkillers should be taken for up to 10 days before the procedure/surgery. Other pain killers are generally of the category NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), these can increase bleeding during the operation and recovery. Aspirin or taking alcohol in the previous days before the operation can also increase bleeding as can blood thinners. It is important to tell your doctor if you regularly take any of these types of medication.

Do not take appetite suppressors for 2 weeks before treatment and avoid trying to lose that extra bit of weight before the procedure to improve the results because this may weaken your body and result in slower healing time or complications. It is best to just eat healthily prior to the procedure and concentrate on improving your results after the treatment.

You may also think that using moisturisers before the procedure will soften your skin and make the procedure easier on your skin however, don't do this immediately before the process. The surgeon will not be able to place ink onto your skin or it may smudge and wipe off accidently, unknowingly to your surgeon. If you have a good skin care routine using moisturisers on your skin, it should be healthy enough to tolerate the procedure. Also avoid perfumes on the skins, these may affect the anaesthetic or skin responses to the procedure.

The day of the SmartLipo procedure

Before putting on your gown you may be asked for pre-operative (before) photos and the surgeon will use ink to mark the areas where he intends to perform the procedure. Then the surgeon will run through the movements you may be asked to make during the procedure. For instance you may have to bend knees or extend your knees at different points throughout the procedure for knee lipolysis. You can also ask him what you will be expected to do or how you will be expected to behave during the procedure.

At this point you may have a blood pressure/heart monitor attached to monitor your health throughout the procedure and a catheter entered into your arm, as if you were having blood drawn. This is done in case you experience any pain or complications. The equipment can alert your surgeon and any further medication can be quickly given to you during the procedure.

Aftercare following the SmartLipo procedure

Any monitors and catheters should be removed and you may or may not have a compression garment fitted (like a stocking or bandage) depending on the area treated. Although you will have received a local anaesthetic not a general anaesthetic you may feel sleepy so do not drive home, either ask someone else to drive you home or take public transport. You may also have muscle aches and pains after the procedure. The anaesthetic may last up to 36 hours so you may not need further pain killers. If you do, you can buy over the counter non-prescription pain killers. You should also be taking antibiotics provided by the surgeon. After the procedure there will be no stiches, just absorbance pads to absorb the small amount of blood, lipid and anaesthetic draining from wound. This drainage may continue for at least 2-3 days and up to several days. However wound healing should be well on this way by the second day after the procedure.

You should shower daily in warm not hot water and clean/change your dressings daily. This prevents infection and scabs from forming in first 1-2 days; this is to allow drainage from the incisions. It is important not to take baths, swim or take part in any activity which involves completely submerging your body under liquid. Once the incisions have stopped draining you can use petroleum jelly over incision sites. If you are exposing your skin to sunlight, it is also important to use sun block on incisions to prevent scarring the appearance of colour change in the healing skin at the sites of the incisions. Avoid alcohol for 48 hours after procedure because there may be an adverse interaction with the antibiotic and dehydration from alcohol intake may slow down healing. Therefore drink plenty of fluids. You can exercise again normally if you feel well enough after 2-4 days. Bandages may be removed after approximately 2 weeks. You may feel some soreness and tiredness for several days afterwards. Also swelling may continue for up to 12 weeks after surgery so you need to be patient.

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