What Post-Surgery Recovery Garments Should You Consider?
Just like there are a variety of surgical procedures for a variety of conditions, there are just as many post-surgery recovery garments on the market to consider. Depending on the type of surgery you’re considering, your doctor will recommend a number of types of recovery garments. Recovery can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, and you may not see the final results of your surgery for up to a few months! In this regard, the type of garments you wear and your diligence wearing them will directly affect your results.
Benefits of Compression Garments
Compression is a type of clothing or wrap that is designed to stabilize the area of your body that you had worked on. They are designed to target the area by providing a uniform stabilizing comfort while reducing swelling and fluid retention after surgery. They can also reduce infection and speed up the healing process by improving circulation in that area. Typically, you will need to wear a highly compressive garment or wrap in the first 1-2 weeks post surgery (stage 1), a less compressive garment in the next 3-5 weeks (stage 2) and maybe even a lightly compressive or supportive garment after 5 weeks (stage 3). Not all surgeries/procedures take 5+ weeks to heal, but some can take up to 6 months to see the full results of the procedure.
Quality of Compression Garments
Just like selecting a doctor you feel comfortable with because of their high caliber, you want to choose recovery garments that are also high quality medical grade compression. Medical compression garments are usually more expensive than your usual shapewear or sports level compression. Because they are so compressive, they can be difficult to put on at first, but they are designed to be tight. If you haven’t used compression before it might take a day or two to get used to, but they are necessary for your recovery and will soon feel comfortable. Just like you wouldn’t skip on the cost of a surgical procedure, you shouldn’t skimp on recovery garments because they are what help the surgical procedure to “stick” and help your body to take on its new form. Your doctor will have some recommendations on what types of garments to consider for your recovery, but so you have an idea, you can check out our different stages of recovery garments here.
Stage 1 – highest compression
Lipo foam
Facial compression wrap
Body shaper
Abdominal binder
Surgical bra
And more…
Products in this category will be worn immediately following surgery for the next 1-2 weeks and are the highest level of compression to provide the most support to your body when it is vulnerable and healing.
Stage 2 – less compression
Male vest
Body garment
Mid thigh girdle
Abdominal binder
And more…
Products in this category will be worn in the next 3-5 weeks post-surgery and are usually slightly less compressive (but still supportive) and help the surgery and affected muscles retain their shape while reducing swelling and bruising.
Stage 3 – light compression and scar treatment
Arnica gel
Scar esthetique scar cream
Round gel packs
And more…
Products in this category will help your body continue to recover by providing muscular support, helping to heal scars, and helping you return to your regularly scheduled activities.
Remember, your surgeon will recommend a specific recovery plan that you should not deviate from. They will provide regular check-ins where you can give them a status update and alter or continue your recovery plan accordingly. Like you should only consider the best surgeon available to you for your procedure, you should only consider the best recovery garments from ContourMD.
