This is great question because liposuction withdraws water from the body.
How it works:
- Tumescent fluid (salt water with local anesthetic) is pumped in under the skin.
- The fluid pumped is equals to the fat that is being removed (example: 4 liters of tumescent = 4 liters of fat)
- The liposuction cannula suctions out the fat, slightly injuring tissues along its path.
- Body fluids begin to enter the injured area. This is a normal body injury response.
- Fluids continue to enter the liposuction tissues for 48-72 hours.
- These fluids come out of the fluid in your blood. Your blood volume may get low.
- This is made a bit worse because liposuction also removes some of the tumescent fluid.
- Quite a lot of tumescent fluid drains from the incisions.
- The result is blood volume gets low. You may feel dizzy, weak or tired. This low blood fluid leads to your body making less urine than normal. In severe cases, this damages the kidneys. So you are told to drink a lot of fluid after liposuction to restore blood volume.
IT IS NOT USUALLY A PROBLEM if you have liposuction with general anesthesia because you will have intravenous fluids and a catheter in your bladder. Your urine flow through the kidney is monitored and if there is not enough urine, you get more intravenous fluid. Blood volume is usually just fine.
If you have a small area of liposuction, e.g. just local anesthesia in the office, the fluid shifts are minimal, there is nothing to worry about.
It becomes a problem if you have a large amount of liposuction awake but sedated. You will not have a catheter, your urine cannot be monitored, your chief fluid will be the tumescent and your blood volume can get low.
The Right Amount of Water to Drink
The “magic” answer is listen to your kidneys.
- Water is just right: You are urinating (peeing) every 3-4 hours during the day and once or twice a night and your urine is light yellow or clear. You’ve got enough water on board. Drink normally.
- Too much water: you are urinating every hour or so, day and night and your urine is clear? You are drinking too much. Cut back to your usual amount.
- Not enough water: You don’t urinate for five or six hours and your urine is medium to very dark yellow. Drink more water until your urine is ‘just right’ (see above.)
- Urinary retention!! You are urinating a little bit very often but your bladder never feels empty and you keep having to go. CALL YOUR SURGEON! Narcotics given at surgery can stop your bladder from working. A catheter is a ‘must’ until your bladder muscle is back to normal.