Ask a Surgeon - Liposuction - I can't find a satisfactory answer on why you can't resume a regular exercise...

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I can't find a satisfactory answer on why you can't resume a regular exercise program...

Q:

I can't find a satisfactory answer on why you can't resume a regular exercise program soon after (2 weeks) liposuction. Why is it dangerous for a relatively fit woman to do intense stretches, power yoga or push-ups? What are the specific medical reasons? Is the time frame the same for everyone?

A:

Although it may be different from patient to patient, and liposuction procedures can vary in their magnitude, a general rule for most surgical procedures is to refrain from heavy physical exercise or lifting for 2-3 weeks. During this timeframe, your body is recovering in the inflammatory phase of wound healing. That means that many of the small and medium sized blood vessels which were also traumatized during a surgical procedure are healing but may only be covered by fresh blood clot and inflamed soft tissue. The combination of increasing your heart rate and blood pressure, mixed with shear forces that may pull on these healing tissues, can possibly cause more bleeding and swelling. This in turn may affect your results long term. As stated above, it is possible that your surgeon may allow you to increase your activity level sooner or may ask you to refrain from heavy exercise for a longer time period depending on your specific procedure and his/her comfort level.