Tag Archives: recovery

Liposuction

5 Post-Liposuction Exercise Tips

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Liposuction surgery is a great way for patients in the Point-Claire area to get rid of areas of fat they don’t want, such as muffin tops and love handles. However, if you don’t exercise after surgery, liposuction may only end up making your body exchange one set of problems for another. According to research, when fat is removed from the abdominal area, the body replaces it by increasing levels of belly fat. This can put your body at an increased risk of developing diabetes or heart disease. To counter this, a regular exercise regime should be followed after surgery. This is the best way to gain long-lasting results from liposuction.

Exercise After Liposuction

1. Start Gradually

Exercise after undergoing liposuction should not begin until 2-6 weeks after surgery. This is to ensure that the wounds are fully healed and not at risk of reopening under stress. However, you can do light activities such as walking to get the body accustomed to exercising (without risk of bleeding) and then move on to more rigorous activities after the recovery period.

You can also gradually increase the intensity of regular exercises, such as on the treadmill with each passing week after surgery. For example, in your first week, you go at 1 mile-per-hour, in your second week, 2 miles-per-hour, your third week, 3 miles-per-hour, and continue on.

If the exercise makes you uncomfortable, then stop. This is a warning sign of possible damage to the surgical wounds.

2. Exercise Regularly

Once you have a regular exercise regime in place, stick to it. Strength training and cardio are sure ways to burn any excess belly fat the body may want to produce to compensate for lost fat. One study showed that women who exercised regularly 3 times a week kept their fat off while women who did not gained extra belly fat. You should exercise for at least 20 minutes a day.

3. Eat healthy

Any exercise will not be of much benefit if it is not supported by a healthy diet. Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are good sources of carbohydrates that will not leave you with hunger pangs.

4. Eat regularly

Having small meals throughout the day is better than having large meals. This way you won’t overeat and increase the risk of gaining weight, especially belly fat. Your body can also maintain high energy levels.

5. Join a Gym

It might be a good idea to join a gym. A gym membership can keep you motivated to stay on a regular exercise regime, especially since you are already paying.

Tummy Tuck

6 Ways to Reduce Tummy Tuck Scarring

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Preparing for your tummy tuck surgery here in Montreal may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. If you are in good health and a non-smoker, the procedure and recovery should be straightforward and completely manageable.

Reducing Scars After A Tummy Tuck

It will take a few weeks to feel comfortable again and even longer for your scars to subside. They will be red-coloured and thick for a couple of months and may take a full year to fade. Your scars will be present, but they should reduce down to a discreet size with time. Here are a few things you can do to speed up the process:

1. Use Vitamin E Oil and Cocoa Butter

Vitamin E oil and cocoa butter are both amazing products. They provide intense moisturization, which is helpful in reducing the appearance of scars. However, always check with your doctor before using any over-the-counter products on your surgical scars.

2. Apply Silicone Sheeting

Silicone sheeting is one of the best over-the-counter products to help reduce scars. The sheets can also help ease itching and pain. They can be purchased as patches, dressings, or strips, and some brands even sell silicone strips specifically for tummy tuck scars.

3. Wear Compression Garments

Compression garments are items of clothing that apply pressure to release incision tension and reduce swelling. You can use medical tape to secure compression garments. Consult with your surgeon as to what degree of pressure is best for your incisions.

4. Apply SPF

After your surgery, sunscreen will be your best friend. If you know you will be baring your midriff, you should apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher. Scars get irritated in direct sunlight and change colour. Without proper sun protection, your scars may even become darker, which is the opposite of what you want to happen post-surgery. You should always be diligent and cautious about sunscreen application but be especially so during the first year following your procedure.

5. Wear Loose Clothing

Prepare to wear loose clothing for the first few months following surgery. Tight fitting jeans or dresses may irritate your incisions and perpetuate scarring.

6. Consider Surgical Options for Tummy Tuck Scar Removal

After healing, if a prominent tummy tuck scar still exists, there are surgical solutions for scar removal. Surgical scar revision can be performed six months or more after surgery. It will reduce the scar’s appearance by shortening its length, so it works best for wide and long abdominoplasty scars.

Liposuction

5 Ways to Maintain Liposuction Results

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Liposuction is extremely popular among Montreal, Longueuil, Pointe Claire, and other Quebec patients because of its proven ability to get rid of unwanted, excess adipose tissue in areas such as the back, thighs, upper arms, cheeks, and hips. However, liposuction treatments, although highly effective, do not guarantee that the fat will not return. Here are some tips on how to make sure you maintain a healthy, beautiful body after your treatment.

Maintaining A Healthy Body After Lipo

1. Make sure you are eating healthy

Liposuction only removes fatty tissue, it does not protect against regaining the fat that was removed. A healthy diet low in carbohydrates, sugars, and saturated fats and high in essential vitamin- and mineral-rich foods like fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, whole grains, and lean proteins will help ensure that you stay trim whether you’ve had liposuction or not.

2. Drink plenty of water throughout the day

The average amount of water recommended by most medical professionals that you should be drinking every day is eight standard glasses. This will fluctuate based on your body size and activity level, but a hydrated body helps to maintain an active and healthy metabolism. It also aids digestion and helps to manage hunger and food cravings.

3. Eat several small meals throughout the day

Eating smaller meals more frequently helps you to maintain your energy levels throughout the day and is less likely to make you feel as though you are depriving yourself of food between meals. One of the most important benefits of eating smaller meals throughout the day is that it helps prevent the overeating that many people feel compelled to do when they eat less frequently.

4. Get your carbs from whole grains, fresh fruits, and vegetables

Carbohydrates obtained from these sources are the healthiest form of carbohydrates you can put into your body. They are key to maintaining healthy blood sugar levels, which in turn helps prevent you from getting hunger pangs and cravings for foods that are counterproductive to maintaining a healthy body.

5. Get your exercise

Exercise should be a part of any healthy person’s daily routine, liposuction patient or otherwise. It is important to develop and integrate an exercise routine into your life, but make sure that you are consulting with and following the advice of your plastic surgeon after liposuction so as to avoid any strenuous exercise that may damage your body, especially the surgical sites.

Liposuction can be an avenue to explore if you just can’t seem to shake that fatty tissue that has been plaguing you, no matter what you do, but it is important to understand that it is not a cure-all. Liposuction is just the beginning of a healthier you, and it goes without saying that you need to make sure you are supplementing the treatment with a healthy lifestyle and diet choices to ensure you maintain the full, long-term results.

Brazilian Butt Lift

Brazilian Butt Lift vs Traditional Butt Lift

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The Brazilian butt lift is popular among Montreal patients because it is less invasive than a traditional butt lift. It also helps shape the abdominal area, hips, and waist. The goal of a Brazilian butt lift is to create a curvy figure and a round bottom.

Brazilian Butt Lift

What Is an Excisional Butt Lift?

This is the traditional butt lift, which is more invasive and leaves larger, although strategically hidden, scars. This procedure takes sagging skin and pulls it upwards, much like how a tummy tuck works, except that the skin is stretched in the opposite direction. The excess skin is removed, leaving the bottom less saggy, and as a result, the whole area looks trimmer and smaller.

The Two Stages of the Brazilian Butt Lift

First, fat is harvested from the abdomen to flatten the belly and define the waist. Next, the fat is injected under the skin in the buttocks to fill and reshape the butt.

To ensure a level of quality, the fat that was taken from the abdomen is processed before being injected. Reusing the fat means that the structure of the tissue needs to be disturbed as little as possible. Surgeons do the following:

  • The fat is carefully harvested either by hand or through a medical vacuum
  • The fat is then processed. This stage can vary depending on the method used — some doctors will add antibiotics to prevent infection and some will use a filter to prevent the inclusion of other tissue

Fat grafting is similar to getting an implant without the risk of the body rejecting the implant.

Shaping the Buttocks

Once processed, the fat can be injected using either a cannula that can be large or small, single- or multiple-holed. Ultimately, the goal is to get a rounder, higher, and plumper bottom. Using multiple injection sites not only ensures a better distribution of the fat, it also increases the absorption rate of fat cells into the body. The amount of fat transferred depends, but it usually falls into the range of 500 to 1,000cc.

Brazilian butt lift before-and-after

Recovery

After the procedure, you will be expected to avoid sitting or lying on your back for a few weeks while your body recovers. You may also be provided with a compression garment to keep things in place as you move around during the day.

Lip Lift

4 Tips for a Successful Lip Lift and Recovery

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Lip enhancement is incredibly popular in Montreal. Full, luscious lips have never been more desirable (or attainable) than they are today. While fillers and injections can help women and men achieve their desired lip look, they are both costly and impermanent. A better investment may be a surgical lip lift.

Tips For A Successful Lip Recovery

A lip lift is an effective solution to amp-up thin lips or remedy signs of aging. There are different kinds of lip lifts, but a common one is the central lip lift procedure. It is performed under local anesthesia and involves making a small incision under the nose to remove excess skin and heighten the upper lip to create more volume.

Another type of lift is performed to correct turned down corners. It involves making small incisions on each side of the lips to alter the shape of the mouth.

Lip lifts usually take about 1 to 2 hours to perform, and the recovery time is about 10 days. Here are some tips to help ensure your lip lift procedure goes smoothly and that you gain your desired results.

1. Quit Smoking

First things first, if you’re a smoker it is time to put down the cigarettes. If you are not, then you can skip down to tip number 2. Not only are cigarettes harmful to your overall health, but they rapidly speed up the aging process. It would be counterproductive to get a lip lift and then continue to smoke. Smoking may also cause infections during the healing process and delay recovery altogether.

2. Do Your Research

Make sure you consult with a professional prior to booking your lip lift. It is important to weigh all of your options so that you can make an educated decision. Word-of-mouth recommendations from friends, family members, or coworkers are only solid if you also do the homework to back up their results.

3. Less is More

When it comes to surgery, less can often equal more. Try envisioning how your upper lip will look lifted to different heights by curling it back over a pen. Your surgeon can also help you make your decision, as they are trained to determine what look will best serve their patient. As a rule of thumb, always trust your gut reaction.

4. Doctor’s Orders

Limit the movement of your mouth. Don’t eat anything post-surgery that will stretch your mouth to bite into, like a cheeseburger. Stick to liquids and soft food cut into small pieces. You do not want to strain your augmented lips, as too much movement can alter the shape your surgeon intended for an optimum result. Also, if you can, take your medications as prescribed. They are prescribed to aid you through the healing process, ensuring that you experience as little pain as possible.

If you are interested in having a lip lift or would like further information, contact our team of experts to discuss any questions you may have.