Recovery is not the end of surgery: it is part of it. A good part of what you see in the final result depends on what happens in the weeks after the operating room.<\/p>\n\n
Here I explain what is to be expected after plastic surgery, which signs you should not let pass and how we support you through this stage.<\/p>\n\n
A technically correct surgery can end in a mediocre result if recovery is neglected. The tissues need time to deswell, settle and heal, and that process can be supported or it can be left to chance.<\/p>\n\n
In my practice recovery is planned from before we go into the operating room. There are defined follow-up visits, home care that is explained in writing and support from the team when something falls outside what was expected.<\/p>\n\n
After plastic surgery it is to be expected that you will have swelling, bruising, a feeling of tightness in the operated area, discomfort when you move and fatigue. The skin may feel numb or tingly while the nerves recover.<\/p>\n\n
It is also normal for the area not to look symmetrical at first and for the result to change from one week to the next. Swelling does not go down evenly: it leaves in stages and there is usually a last remnant that takes longer to go.<\/p>\n\n
None of this means that something went wrong. It means that your body is in process.<\/p>\n\n
There are three things that cause a lot of worry and that are worth understanding.<\/p>\n\n
Fibrosis<\/strong> is a hardening of the tissue that forms during healing. In some cases it appears unevenly and feels like hard areas under the skin. It is managed with massage, therapies and supporting technology, and it responds better when it is detected early.<\/p>\n\n A seroma<\/strong> is a build-up of fluid in the space left after surgery. It is detected at a follow-up visit and has a defined management.<\/p>\n\n A scar<\/strong> goes through phases: first it looks red and raised, then it gradually lightens and flattens. That process takes months and depends on the type of skin, on the area and on the care you give it, above all with the sun.<\/p>\n\n In body contouring surgeries the compression garment serves a specific purpose: to hold the tissues while they adhere and to help control swelling. It is not an optional accessory nor a method for shaping the result.<\/p>\n\n How long to wear it, the type of compression garment and when to change it are indicated according to what was done in your case. The same applies to rest, diet and the moment to go back to exercise: they are personalized instructions, not a general rule from the internet.<\/p>\n\n I frequently see patients who do not come for a new surgery, but to resolve something that was done to them before. The most frequent case is that of substances injected outside of medical practice, known as biopolymers.<\/p>\n\n These substances do not behave like a filler: they migrate, they generate chronic inflammation and they can produce systemic symptoms. They are not always removed completely, and promising you otherwise would be irresponsible. What can be done is to assess the case, remove what is reachable and improve the symptoms.<\/p>\n\n If you are in that situation, the first step is an honest assessment of what is there.<\/p>\n\n Seek care without waiting for your follow-up visit if any of these appear:<\/p>\n\n None of these signs on its own means that something serious is happening. They mean that you need to be examined. I would a thousand times rather have one consultation too many than a complication treated late.<\/p>\n\n Recovery in my practice is not just wound care. It is part of a pathway that starts before surgery, with preparation by the functional and bioregulatory medicine team, and continues afterwards with management of swelling and supporting technology applied with protocols adapted to each case.<\/p>\n\n The idea is simple: to support recovery instead of only waiting for it.<\/p>\n\n You can come in even if your surgery was done by another surgeon. It is common and there is nothing awkward about it: what matters is that someone looks at what is going on.<\/p>\n\n In that consultation I review what was done, what stage you are at and what can be done now. Sometimes the answer is to wait and support, and sometimes there is indeed something to correct. Either way, you are going to leave knowing where you stand.<\/p>\n\n Find the answers to the most common questions here.<\/p>\n\n\n It depends on the procedure and on your case. There is an initial rest phase of a few days, a phase of gradual return to activity and a long phase in which the result finishes refining itself over the following months.<\/p><\/div><\/details> In the first weeks, yes; swelling is rarely symmetrical. What does warrant a review is swelling that grows suddenly on one side only or that comes with pain and warmth.<\/p><\/div><\/details> It is resumed in stages and always with instructions. Going back too soon is one of the most frequent causes of avoidable complications.<\/p><\/div><\/details> They help, above all when they are started early and done with a protocol. They are not a substitute for medical follow-up, nor do they guarantee that fibrosis will not appear.<\/p><\/div><\/details> The scar needs protection from the sun for months. Early exposure is the fastest way to end up with a dark scar.<\/p><\/div><\/details> Not always. What is reachable is removed and the associated inflammation is treated. The realistic goal is to improve your symptoms and your quality of life, not to erase completely what was injected.<\/p><\/div><\/details> I do not publish prices. The management depends on what has to be done, and that is defined after I assess you. In the consultation you receive a quote for your case.<\/p><\/div><\/details> Yes. A good part of what gets corrected in time is detected at a routine follow-up visit, when the patient does not feel anything yet.<\/p><\/div><\/details><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What is normal and what is not after plastic surgery, how we manage swelling and fibrosis, and when to seek care without waiting for your next visit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":359,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recovery-aftercare"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":13,"label":"Recovery & Aftercare"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/draelianagarces.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/postop-equipment-1024x683.jpg",1024,683,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"CaroDRAEG","author_link":"https:\/\/draelianagarces.co\/en\/author\/carodraeg\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":13,"name":"Recovery & Aftercare","slug":"recovery-aftercare","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":13,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Cuidados, complicaciones y acompa\u00f1amiento despu\u00e9s de una cirug\u00eda pl\u00e1stica.","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":13,"category_count":1,"category_description":"Cuidados, complicaciones y acompa\u00f1amiento despu\u00e9s de una cirug\u00eda pl\u00e1stica.","cat_name":"Recovery & Aftercare","category_nicename":"recovery-aftercare","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/draelianagarces.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/draelianagarces.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/draelianagarces.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/draelianagarces.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/draelianagarces.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3482"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/draelianagarces.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3482\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3484,"href":"https:\/\/draelianagarces.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3482\/revisions\/3484"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/draelianagarces.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/draelianagarces.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/draelianagarces.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/draelianagarces.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The compression garment and home care<\/h2>\n\n
Biopolymers and complications from previous procedures<\/h2>\n\n
Signs you should not let pass<\/h2>\n\n
How we support you through recovery<\/h2>\n\n
If you had surgery somewhere else<\/h2>\n\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n
1<\/span>
How long does recovery last?<\/h3><\/span><\/summary>
2<\/span>
Is it normal for one side to be more swollen than the other?<\/h3><\/span><\/summary>
3<\/span>
When can I go back to exercising?<\/h3><\/span><\/summary>
4<\/span>
Do massage and technology help with fibrosis?<\/h3><\/span><\/summary>
5<\/span>
Can I sunbathe after surgery?<\/h3><\/span><\/summary>
6<\/span>
Can biopolymers be removed completely?<\/h3><\/span><\/summary>
7<\/span>
How much does managing a complication cost?<\/h3><\/span><\/summary>
8<\/span>
Do I have to attend all the follow-up visits if I feel fine?<\/h3><\/span><\/summary>