What Clothes Should I Wear After Liposuction?

Liposuction can be a painful and exhausting surgical procedure. Even after the operation your body will be tender, swollen and need to be treated with care; your clothes are very important to the healing process. Choosing the correct garments will help make your healing process as comfortable and medically safe as possible.

Compression Garments

• After a liposuction operation you will undoubtedly be presented with compression gear to wear. This garment is usually worn between 2 to 6 weeks post surgery and will help the body heal faster, prevent significant scarring and improve the chances of smoother results. Compression gear should be treated more as an undergarment than as an outfit; the tight-fitting white material presses onto the skin to help it heal in a smooth and straight way while working with the contours of your body. Compression garments come in male and female varieties.

Sweatpants and Sweatshirts

• Depending on the operation area there is going to be swelling and tenderness. The ideal outfit to ensure comfort and a modest style are sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Ensure that the sweatpants have a waistline that doesn't tighten around your liposuction area; if they do you may potentially be preventing the healing process and affecting the outcome of your surgery. Similarly, ensure that the sweatshirt is loose-fitting and doesn't tighten around any painful areas. Some liposuction surgery only takes a few weeks or months to heal; if you can survive in sweatpants for that long then you are going to reap the positive benefits of the surgery.

Button-down Clothes

• Liposuction surgery leaves your body bruised and swollen, particularly in the frontal area if you had liposuction on the stomach (the most common form of liposuction). Garments that open from the front prevent you from stretching and tensing the muscles around your operation area. If you do have to stretch your stomach muscles you may be potentially damaging your scar tissue or reopening the surgical wound. Therefore it is not ideal to wear clothes that you have to tie at the back or pull over your head. Garments such as baggy, button-up shirts are a good idea for men while a button-fronted tie top or tunic are great choices for women. These clothes are also a good idea for those living in warmer and hotter climates.