Dealing with the physical discomfort after surgery isn't something you see advertised in those fancy ads offering cheap liposuction prices, showing beautiful women running on the beach who have theoretically just had liposculpture on their thighs. The truth is, you will probably not be running around in a bathing suit anytime soon after surgery, unless you also want to show off your body garment, swells, and bruises!

Okay, I am making it sound a bit worse than it might be. But the truth is, it certainly does take many weeks and months for the body to fully recover from liposculpture surgery, and for the results to come to fruition. It's not like you can do this on your lunch break and then go to beach week with your mates and be 10 pounds skinner.

To get a better - and more realistic - idea of how this works, let's look at that recovery time-line a little bit closer.

What will you experience within the first few weeks of your surgery? Well, you should probably have someone drive you home, just in case you feel too out of it to do so safely. Many people only want to sit on the couch and basically be of their feet those first few days after surgery. It's just easier on the body this way! If you've had tumescent liposculpture, in which fluid is pumped into the body, during the first few weeks, you will have a somewhat gross combination of fluid and blood leak out of your incisions. This is actually a GOOD thing, as it will lower the overall amount of bruising to your skin and therefore speed up recovery. But it's also one reason why it's important to wear that garment and keep a close eye on things as far as infections go!

The first week is the toughest. Few experience terrible pain but many experience real discomfort in this time. So take it easy - get your errands done beforehand, have your groceries and meals in the house, rent some movies, get a few good books, and relax.

Also note that if you're a bath taker, you'll have to switch to showers. (It's not good to be sitting in hot water for long periods of time with those open incisions on your body.)

By the end of those first few weeks, you will see a noticeable difference in the severity of the bruising and swelling at the treated area. Yay!

It is going to take several months before the bruising and swelling entirely go away. During this time, the loose skin around the treated area should also begin to tighten up. When exactly this will happen is hard to say, as it depends on the patients body, their skins elasticity, their age, and even their genetics.

It's important to remain diligent in keeping the incision areas clean and free from infection. Don't get lazy with this! :)

It's a great idea to have a post-surgery meet up with your surgeon to see how things are progressing. At this meeting, the doctor can make sure the body has taken the surgery nicely and is recovering as it should.

Thinking in terms of months is perhaps a little discouraging - however, by the 6 month mark, most patients will see the results emerge from the surgery in full force.

After 6 months, most patients experience a full or nearly full recovery. The bruising and swelling are gone and the results of the surgery are visible. Great!

This is a fantastic time to consider what actions you should take to keep the weight from ever coming back. If your thighs look great from surgery - then wow! What will it take to keep it this way? Use your positive results to motivate yourself to take action, as liposculpture surgery can only do so much!