Details about Compression Garments!!!

[carreon]

Hi Dimples,

I hope you are feeling better-- I am glad you had someone you could call on to help you through this tough time.

And thank you for sharing your experience with us.

Dimples brought up a very good point about knowing what a compression garment actually does and why and when it is needed. Although my research here isn't terribly scientific (Google searches), I was able to find the 2006 Guidelines for Liposuction Surgery Released by American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and some other info which might help clarify what the compression garment is all about. I know instructions vary from doctor to doctor, so just take away from this what you find helpful and disregard what you don't!

GENERAL INFO:
According to the 2006 Guidelines for Liposuction Surgery Released by American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery:
2006 Guidelines for Liposuction Surgery Released by American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery
http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache...ient=firefox-a

1) The use of compression is considered important and appears to be most helpful in the first seven days following surgery.

2) Reasonable early ambulation of liposuction patients is advisable to avoid venous stasis and shorten the post‐operative recuperation period. (ie, start walking right away to help relieve/prevent swelling & heal faster!)

LENGTH OF TIME TO WEAR THE GARMENT:
More on the subject of how long the compression garment should be worn-- most of the info I found ranged from 3 days to 6 weeks, and many were careful to specify that the garment be comfortable & not be too tight:

1) from http://smartlipoproviders.com/
SmartLipo, on the other hand, uses local anesthesia, small lasers and cannulas for fat removal, leaves little to no scarring and requires no stitches, only two days of down time and only two weeks for compression garments.

2) http://www.drmelton.com/Chicago/Lipo...recovery_.html
You will probably be advised to wear a compression garment for at least the first several days. We prefer compression garments which are not extremely tight, and our patients actually find it more comfortable to wear the garments for the first several days than to go without. There is not any very good evidence that the garments are helpful after the first week or so, so at that point their use is your decision. Before tumescent techniqe, very tight compression garments were prescribed for 6 weeks or more. Decreased bleeding and much smaller instruments used in the tumescent liposuction technique make prolonged garment use and tight garments unnecessary.

3) http://www.drcherup.com/html/liposuction.html
You should not remove this garment (except for laundering) at all until the second or third day after liposuction surgery. We want you to have circumferential pressure for 4-6 weeks, but you may switch to an exercise garment (Lycra or Spandex) whenever it feels comfortable to slip it on or off, as you will have to do so in order to go to the bathroom.

GARMENT SIZING:
Regarding the dangers of a too much compression garment:

1) from http://www.liposuction.com/faqs/elastic_garments.php
If there is too much compression after all drainage has ceased, the lymphatic vessels are squeezed shut and prevented from absorbing the remaining blood-tinged tumescent fluid

2) from http://www.liposuction.com/postopcare/
Prolonged Compression Now Makes Matters Worse
Now that tumescent technique has become the standard of care, the traditional post-liposuction techniques, established before the invention of the tumescent technique, may now contribute to delayed healing and prolonged swelling. With tumescent liposuction there is no need for prolonged high compression because there is no significant bleeding during surgery, and virtually no blood remains trapped beneath the skin. After tumescent liposuction, closing incisions with sutures will prevent drainage of residual blood-tinged anesthetic solution, and encourage swelling. In addition, the prolonged use of excessive compression after tumescent liposuction will compress the subcutaneous lymphatic capillaries and impair the lymphatic drainage system that is responsible for removing fluid from injured tissues. After tumescent liposuction, the goal is to maximize the rate of drainage of residual blood-tinged tumescent anesthetic solution.

BODY CONTOURING:
With the notable exception of the garment manufacture's site, the closest thing I could find about the compression garment "contouring the body" was from www.cosmeticsurgery.com:

1) The compression garment collapses the tunnels the cannula makes through the fatty areas to provide a sleeker, more contoured look after healing.

OTHER FUNCTIONS:
Other functions of the compression garment:
1. from http://www.liposuction.com/faqs/elastic_garments.php
With the modern "open-drainage" technique for post-liposuction care, the tiny incisions/adits are allowed to remain open (not closed with stitches), and the reason for using compression garments (need only be worn for a few days) is to encourage the rapid drainage of the residual blood-tinged tumescent anesthetic solution from beneath the skin.

from http://www.beautysurg.com/learn/body...-recovery.html (Great article-- everyone should read this!)
2. Pushing down on the skin, the elastic surgical compression garment squeezes body fluids back toward deeper tissues, reducing edema (swelling) in the affected areas.

3. An extra advantage from these surgical compression garments is that loose skin, held firmly against the body, is far more likely to heal without sagging.

[poisynivy]

Hey Carreon:

Holy cow! Did you type all that in? That is all phenomenal info. I hope others take all of this to heart. Hope your moving along in your healing. I am sorry to hear about your little kitty. I think you said you recently lost your little one. I think that pets are like family, you are never prepared for the loss. I say life happens and we grow from all of our experiences, good or bad.

Poisynivy

[jennifer]

Wow dimples its excellent info

[blue]

wow. thanks! I just (15 minutes ago) squeezed into my too-tight Versalles garment out of a severe sense of duty. I am going to go take it off right now and switch back to my comfortable Rainey.

[rebeccap]

That's really good info. Thanks for pulling it together for us!

[catwoman]

Wonderful research on compression garments! This should help everyone who is looking for answers before, during and after liposuction procedures. Information is power for us all. Unfortunately, we can not always follow "doctor's orders", especially when our inner voices are telling us something is not right. This topic has been the subject of much debate on this Forum, and one that I have made my own personal crusade. Thank you, carreon, for compiling all this data, and, Jennifer, for making this a permanent Thread!

[Heidi]

that was very, very helpful! I've been confused as to just how long to wear it and that helped so much! Thanks!!

[Heidi]

Hi Lisa I'm Heidi and I just had my second round of Smart Lipo done yesterday. Yes, it's GREAT to be draining like u are. It usually stops after 24-48 hours so just be patient. The more fluid comes out the quicker the swelling will go down. Also be patient for full recovery time. It takes 4-6 months to see the full result of Smart Lipo. I learned that from my first time around in June. Wear the garment for two weeks at least. It helps squeeze out excess fluids....as horrible as it is to wear I know. But it speeds recovery so deal with it. Keep drinking the water.

[Mary Petsiavas]

AMAZING thanx!!!

[smisstoni]

Question about compression garmets? I have two the abdominal binder and one for the legs. How tight should the abdominal binder be? This may sound ridiculous, but will there be a line in my stomach from the garmets being so tight?