What It Was Like to Have and Recover From Liposuction
Key takeaways:
After gaining weight from four pregnancies, Briana Richardson didn’t feel comfortable in her body.
She tried healthy eating and exercise. But she wanted to see results faster, so she turned to liposuction.
The procedure and recovery were painful, but she’s happy with the results. She offers advice for others considering the procedure.
After giving birth to four children — and gaining weight with each pregnancy — 32-year-old Briana Richardson knew something needed to change.
“My body [was] not how it used to be,” she says. “I wasn’t comfortable in my own skin, and I just wanted to feel like my old self again.”
Briana, of San Bernardino, California, had tried exercising between pregnancies. But between her job as a psychiatric technician at a hospital and parenting her kids, finding the time and the motivation every day was a constant battle.
She wanted tough fat areas removed — quickly
That’s when Briana turned to liposuction, a surgical procedure that removes fat from under your skin.
“It seemed faster and like a better option for me at the time because I mentally wasn’t in the space to work out,” she says.
Search and compare options
After looking at her options, Briana chose FlexSculpt, a body-contouring option that claims to be less invasive than traditional liposuction because it uses air pressure to pull away unwanted fatty tissue. It uses the vibration of thin metal rods to target tough fat areas and remove them. Some also consider it a less risky procedure than traditional liposuction since it’s done under local anesthesia, instead of general anesthesia.
Pain, then numbness
The day of her procedure, Briana took a prescribed medication to calm her nerves and then lay waiting for the meds to kick in. Once she was relaxed, it was time to start the procedure, which began with the doctor inserting a thin vibrating rod in eight small incisions in her stomach. This numbed the area, but she says it was the worst pain she’s ever experienced.
“It was worse than labor pains,” she says.
After the numbing, Briana doesn’t remember much about the rest of the procedure, but it took about 90 minutes.
The most surprising part was the drainage
After the surgery, Briana’s husband drove her to a hotel, where she recovered overnight.
Briana says walking was a struggle from the soreness of the procedure. But the most surprising part was how much blood and drainage she experienced.
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“They put pads on the incisions, but the drainage was crazy,” she says.
The next day, Briana went back to the surgeon, where the nurses did a lymphatic massage to help with the draining and then put a “faja” on her, which is like compression underwear recommended for use after liposuction.
“I was supposed to wear it for 6 weeks, but some recommend wearing it up to a year after to get the results you really want,” she says.
Briana documented her recovery on social media. Four days in, she says, her pain level was 7.5 or 8 out of 10. Slowly, the pain started to subside. More than 6 weeks have passed since her surgery, and Briana is almost back to regular activity, although she says she’s still experiencing some numbness in her abdomen.
But overall, “I’m happy with my stomach,” she says. “It’s pretty flat for the most part. It’s better than it was before.”
Her 3 biggest tips for others considering liposuction
For those considering liposuction, Briana offers these tips:
1. Adopt healthy eating habits
Liposuction may seem like a quick fix, but it’s important to stick to a nutrient-dense diet, Briana says.
“Eighty percent of maintaining your results is nutrition,” she says. She adds that she regrets not changing habits before her surgery. “I’m a foodie. I love to eat, and I still want to eat whatever I want,” she says. “So I would say try to get your mind right. Get yourself mentally prepared as far as your eating habits go.”
2. Do your research
Finding a reputable doctor with good references is important, but Briana says the quality of the staff is equally important since they’re the ones who will be caring for you leading up to and after the surgery.
“They made me feel so comfortable,” she says of her team. And make sure you really know what to expect as far as the recovery goes, she says.
“I really [wasn’t prepared],” she says. “I just went in there and winged it and had to learn a lot of things as I went.”
3. Make sure you have a good support system
Recovery from liposuction is a process. You won’t be feeling up to regular activity for the first few days to weeks after the procedure, Briana says.
“If you don’t have support around you after getting lipo, especially if you have kids, it’s going to be really hard,” she says.
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