What to Buy Before Lipo, BBL, or Tummy Tuck
You've got your surgery date. You've paid your deposit. And now you're staring at a 200-item "post-op essentials" list from some influencer, wondering if you really need a $60 butt pillow and three kinds of arnica.
Okay, chula, breathe. Here's the truth: you don't need anything on those lists. Plenty of women recover just fine without a cart full of gadgets. These are simply the helpful tools my clients rave about most, the ones that make recovery easier, cleaner, and a lot more comfortable.
Want everything in one place? My full recommended shopping list has every faja, foam, board, and recovery helper I recommend, with honest notes on each.
What to buy before lipo, BBL, or tummy tuck: the quick answer
If you're going to buy anything, focus on what makes the first two weeks easier, when you can barely get off the couch: fajas, lipo foam, an ab board, drainage supplies, a few bathroom helpers, and a recovery cart to keep it all within reach. Shop two to three weeks before surgery so everything arrives, fits, and is set up before you get home.
After 20 years of helping women recover, I've seen what works, what ends up in the trash, and what people wish they'd had ahead of time. Here are the favorites.
The most-loved helpers (start here)
1. Two fajas, one to wear and one to wash.
Go one size up for your Stage 1 to leave room for swelling, foam, and boards. If your surgeon sends you home in one, you only need to buy the second. Not sure which stage you need? I broke it all down here:
2. Lipo foam, and buy two packs.
Foam goes between your skin and your faja to keep pressure smooth and help prevent ridges and lines. One 3-sheet pack never wraps you all the way around. Skip the thin, airy ones, because they flatten in a day. My three favorites, from budget to best investment, are on my list.
3. An ab board.
Worn over your foam and under your faja, it keeps your belly compression even so you heal flat. I like the butterfly shape because it curves toward your sides.
4. Drainage supplies.
You may leak for weeks, and it gets on everything. Chux pads (also sold as puppy pads) for your bed, couch, and car seat are the number one thing clients thank me for mentioning.
What I tell my clients: ojo, ask your surgeon at your pre-op appointment whether you'll have open drainage sites, bulb drains, stitches, or staples. Most people don't find out until after surgery. If you're not sure, stock up for drainage anyway.
5. Bathroom helpers.
A bidet attachment (set it up before surgery), a wiping wand for when you can't twist, and a wide pee cup so you don't have to sit.
6. A recovery cart.
A rolling cart next to your bed or couch, with everything in one place. It's also a reminder that this season isn't forever: when you're healed, the cart gets put away.
What I'd skip (or buy something else instead)
This is where people waste money.
The rigid "BBL brick" pillow for home. It can cut off circulation to your legs. At home, sit on a Boppy with the opening facing behind you. Save the brick for when you're out and have to sit.
Thin, cheap foam. It flattens in a day. Spend a little more here.
A back board, for many people. They tend to slide around. A puppy pad folded to size and laid across your back is cheap, soft, and stays put.
A robe instead of a muumuu. With a robe, it's easy to forget why you're wearing it, slip it off, and yank your drains. A button-front muumuu with pockets holds your bulbs and keeps you aware of them.
A pee funnel you've never practiced with. Some women want to pee standing up with their faja on, and a funnel can make that possible. But it's a skill, sis, and you need to master it before surgery, not on day one when you're swollen and sore. Practice in the shower ahead of time. If you don't, go wide instead: a red Solo cup honestly works.
Sizing down in your faja to look snatched. Too tight creates rolls and lumps that harden as you heal. That's not the goal.
Nice-to-haves (if your budget allows)
A shower chair and a handheld showerhead for those first weeks
A wedge pillow with armrests for sitting up in bed
Dry shampoo, a silk bonnet, and no-rinse bath wipes so you feel human again
A long charging cable and a pill organizer for the post-op brain fog
You'll find all of these, with my honest notes on each, in my full list.
When to shop
3 weeks before: fajas, foam, and boards, so you have time to exchange sizes
2 weeks before: drainage, first aid, and bathroom supplies
1 week before: set up your recovery cart and bathroom, and wash your fajas
Here's your chisme for today: shop early and con calma. Fajas and foam sizes run all over the place, and you want time to exchange anything that doesn't fit before surgery day.
When to call your surgeon
Your supplies are for comfort. They don't replace your surgeon's instructions. Call your surgeon if you have a fever, spreading redness, a hot or very painful spot, sudden swelling on one side, or drainage that changes color or smells bad. If it feels like an emergency, call 911.
Want the whole game plan?
This list tells you what to buy. My book, Snatched and Swollen, tells you how to use it all: sizing your faja, when to switch stages, what's normal and what's not, and how to recover with less pain and better results.
And if you're local to Sacramento, I'd love to help you heal in person, amiga.
I'm a Certified Massage Therapist (CAMTC No. 39170), not a doctor. This post is for education, not medical advice. Always follow your surgeon's instructions. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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