Those with moderate to severe amounts of fat removed will often see an improvement despite the swelling that is still present. With mild cases, we do sometimes see a small improvement after one week, but the swelling often compensates for the small amount of fat removed. Resolution of swelling is also highly variable among patients.
Typically, patients see notable improvements every week for the first three to six weeks. After about four months, you should see your ultimate results, with mild improvements continuing 6 – 12 months after surgery.