After liposuction: when to start drainage and how many sessions

It happens more than it should. Someone has surgery on a Friday, is on a cavitation table by Monday because a friend said “the sooner the better”, and two weeks later their abdomen is more swollen and harder than before.

Timing does matter in recovery. But what matters is what gets done, when, and with whose sign-off. This guide is for anyone about to have, or just out of, liposuction, a tummy tuck, chin lipo or buccal fat removal, who wants to understand what they can do for their recovery and what they can't.

What's going on under the skin

Liposuction leaves three things behind: fluid your body has to clear, some leftover fat, and tissue that is healing on the inside. If that tissue heals in a disorganised way, it hardens into lumps or ridges. That's fibrosis, and it usually shows up between week three and week eight.

Post-surgery recovery care works on all three: it helps move the fluid, supports more even healing and treats fibrosis when it appears. It replaces nothing your surgeon does. It works alongside it.

Which of the three is the main issue on a given day is what decides the session. Early on it's almost all fluid; later it's mostly fibrosis and skin.

Before surgery

Almost nobody uses the “before” part. Two or three lymphatic drainage sessions in the weeks leading up to surgery prepare the tissue, and give you something just as useful: you've already met the person who'll be treating you, you know what it feels like, and your post-op appointments are already booked for the days when getting across the city will be hard.

If you have surgery coming up, message us beforehand. Reserving your first week of recovery in advance is a lot easier than finding a slot from your bed.

The first weeks: hands only

The first treatment after surgery is manual lymphatic drainage: slow, gentle, rhythmic movements that don't squeeze and don't hurt. Many surgeons prescribe it within the first few days; others prefer to wait. Your surgeon sets the start date, not us. Bring their instructions in writing or in a message. If you don't have them, we'll ask before we begin.

At this stage we don't use cavitation, radiofrequency or any device that heats or vibrates tissue that's just been operated on. Heat on an inflamed area inflames it further.

Your part:

• Wear your compression garment exactly as prescribed. We'll take it off for the session and help you back into it.
• Walk a little several times a day. Moving helps drainage more than you'd expect.
• Drink 2 to 2.5 litres of water a day, unless your doctor says otherwise.
• Go easy on salt. Salt holds fluid exactly where you don't want it.

In these weeks, several sessions a week works best. Three is a good starting point, and we adjust based on how you're doing.

Once the incisions close: machines come in

Usually from week three, once the incisions have closed and your surgeon agrees, we start combining techniques. Depending on what we find that day, we use:

• Ultrasound to soften areas that are starting to harden.
• Radiofrequency to help the skin tighten and settle over your new contour.
• Cavitation on leftover fat, once there's no acute inflammation.
• Lymphatic drainage in every session, before or after the device work.
• A body mask to finish.

It isn't a fixed protocol. One week may call for more drainage, the next for more work on fibrosis. That's why every session starts with us checking the area by hand.

As the weeks go by, sessions spread out: from three a week to two, then one.

10 sessions or 15?

It depends on the surgery and on how you heal.

• Face and arms — chin lipo, buccal fat removal, chin implants, facelift, arm lipo: most people finish their recovery in around 10 sessions.
• Abdomen, flanks, legs and buttocks: large areas, or lipo on several areas at once, usually need 15, especially if you tend to develop fibrosis.

If the consultation shows you need fewer, we'll tell you.

What it costs

Face and arms: $850 MXN per 50-minute session, $6,800 for a pack of 10 and $9,500 for 15.

Abdomen, flanks, legs and buttocks: $1,500 MXN per 60-minute session, $12,750 for a pack of 10 and $16,850 for 15.

The topical body ampoule, when we recommend it, is an extra $250. The consultation is free.

What we can't do

Being clear about this saves you money and frustration.

• We don't fix surgical results. If there's an unevenness from how the fat was removed, drainage won't smooth it out. That's a conversation with your surgeon.
• We don't drain seromas. If you feel a pocket of fluid that shifts when you press it, your surgeon needs to check it and drain it if necessary.
• We don't work over open incisions or stitches.

Signs to call your surgeon, not us

If you notice any of these, skip the session and call your surgeon the same day:

• A fever of 38 °C (100.4 °F) or higher.
• An area that's red, hot and increasingly painful.
• An incision that's oozing or smells bad.
• A swollen, hard or painful calf, especially on one side only.
• Shortness of breath or chest pain.

The last two can mean a blood clot, and a clot after surgery is an emergency: don't wait for the clinic to call back, go to the ER. Our team knows these signs and will send you to your doctor if they see them. That isn't overcaution. It's part of the job.