Post-Operative Care After Liposuction: Frequently Asked Questions

The post-operative period begins immediately after surgery, when the body starts its natural healing process.

For this reason, post-operative care is commonly initiated within the first 24 hours after surgery, unless otherwise restricted by the surgeon.

During healing, scar tissue begins forming within days, as the body produces collagen to repair the surgical trauma. Properly guided post-operative care during this stage is critical, as early interventions influence how tissue heals, remodels, and stabilizes over time.

Our protocols follow the stages of scar healing and are adapted based on:

• When a patient enters care

• The type of surgery performed

• Previous post-operative services or techniques received

Scar Healing Stages (Simplified)

Inflammation Phase (First few days to ~1 week)
The body focuses on stopping bleeding and protecting against infection.
Common signs include swelling, redness, warmth, and tenderness.

Tissue Formation Phase (Weeks 2–3)
Fibroblasts produce new collagen to repair tissue.
At this stage, scar tissue is stronger but still fragile, and improper or delayed care may contribute to abnormal tissue organization.

Post-operative care during these phases must be precise, progressive, and appropriate to tissue condition. Generic or aggressive approaches during early healing may increase the risk of complications, including fibrosis.

Surgeons are responsible for the surgical procedure and immediate medical safety.
Post-operative soft-tissue care, however, is not a standardized or required component of surgical training, and recommendations may vary significantly.

What matters most is surgeon clearance.

There is an important distinction between:

• A surgeon not actively recommending post-operative care

• A surgeon explicitly forbidding it

These are not the same.

If your surgeon has restricted or prohibited manual intervention, those instructions must be respected. This is particularly relevant after procedures such as a tummy tuck, where internal sutures and incisions require strict protection. Surgeons are not wrong to be cautious—improper or aggressive handling by an untrained provider can compromise healing or, in rare cases, affect the incision.

This is precisely why post-operative care should only be performed by professionals specifically trained in post-surgical tissue management.

Post-op care is not routine massage.
It requires:

• Understanding of surgical anatomy

• Knowledge of healing timelines

• Awareness of incision safety

• Protocols that adapt to tissue condition

When there is uncertainty, the safest path is a professional evaluation to determine if, when, and how post-operative care can be introduced without interfering with surgical healing.

Certain procedures—such as abdominoplasty—require special consideration due to:

• Muscle repair

• Internal suturing

• Increased tissue tension

“Massage” is a broad term and often misunderstood.
Not all post-operative care involves pressure, manipulation, or aggressive techniques.

If your surgeon has restricted manual work, that restriction must be honored.
Any post-operative intervention must be compatible with the surgical repair and healing stage.

This determination cannot be made without proper assessment.

Post-operative care exists in a gray area between surgery and recovery, and that is where confusion often begins.

Surgeons are experts in performing surgery. Their primary responsibility is the surgical procedure itself and ensuring there are no immediate post-surgical complications such as infection, bleeding, or wound dehiscence. Once those risks are managed, the body’s healing process continues on its own — whether guided properly or not.

Post-operative recovery, however, is not a standardized part of medical training. Scar tissue formation, fluid management, lymphatic flow, and tissue response are not universally taught, regulated, or addressed with the same depth as surgical techniques. As a result, many patients receive little to no structured guidance for the healing phase that follows.

In some cases, post-op care is delayed or discouraged out of caution — particularly after procedures such as abdominoplasty — due to legitimate concerns about incision safety. When care is performed by an inexperienced or untrained provider, these concerns are valid. Improper handling of tissue can worsen inflammation, disrupt healing, or contribute to fibrosis.

Unfortunately, this gap is often filled by misinformation, trial-and-error approaches, or repeated packages of generalized treatments that are not adapted to the patient’s healing stage. Over time, ineffective or inappropriate interventions can cause scar tissue to become denser, deeper, and more resistant to correction.

Proper post-operative care is not about forcing the body — it is about facilitating the body’s natural healing process. When guided by a therapist trained specifically in post-surgical tissue behavior, fluids are directed appropriately, inflammation is managed, and scar formation is addressed before it becomes a chronic problem.

For this reason, post-operative care should only be performed by professionals with formal training in post-surgical recovery and with clearance from the surgeon. The therapist assumes responsibility — and liability — for the protocol once care begins, which is why structured treatment and professional oversight are essential.

Post-operative healing will happen whether it is guided or ignored. The difference is whether the outcome is intentional or left to chance.