Day of liposuction at ARTNER Cheongdam —
an hour-by-hour walk-through in Gangnam.

Knowing the sequence of the day removes most of the anxiety around it. This is a literal timeline of an abdomen-and-flanks case at ARTNER Cheongdam — the most common plan — with the variations for other areas noted.

Hour 0: check-in, checks and marking in Cheongdam

You arrive at ARTNER Cheongdam in loose clothes, having followed the pre-op instructions. Blood pressure, pulse, oxygen and temperature are recorded; glucose if you are diabetic. You confirm the plan and sign consent in English. Then you stand, and the director marks the areas with a surgical pen — the zones to treat, the boundaries to feather, the areas to leave — because fat sits differently standing than lying. Photographs are taken for your record.

Thirty minutes. This is the moment to ask anything you still want to ask.

Hour 0.5: tumescent anaesthesia

You lie down. If you have chosen IV sedation, a cannula is placed in the hand and you become drowsy and relaxed but breathing on your own; if local-only awake liposuction, you stay fully alert and can talk. Through tiny incisions, the director infiltrates tumescent fluid — saline with dilute lidocaine and adrenaline — into the fat layer. You feel pressure and fullness, a cool sensation, and brief stinging at the first entry point before the area numbs.

Thirty to forty minutes, including fifteen to twenty minutes of waiting for the fluid to take full effect. The adrenaline constricts vessels, which is why awake liposuction bruises less than many expect.

Hours 1–2.5: the liposuction itself in Gangnam

For fibrous areas — flanks, back, male chest — the VASER probe passes first, emulsifying the fat with ultrasound for ten to twenty minutes per area. Then the suction cannula. You feel movement and vibration, a tugging sensation, and occasionally a sharper moment at a boundary where the director adds a little more anaesthetic. Pain, in the sense of needing to stop, is unusual; discomfort is normal and told to the director, who adjusts.

Plan	Typical operating time at ARTNER Cheongdam
Double chin / neck	30–45 minutes
Abdomen only	60–75 minutes
Abdomen + both flanks (360)	90–120 minutes
Both arms	60 minutes
Inner + outer thighs	90–120 minutes
Male chest	60–90 minutes

The director checks symmetry by pinch and sight as the case proceeds, and finishes by feathering each boundary so there is no step between treated and untreated tissue.

Hour 2.5: incisions, dressings and garment

Most incisions are left open to drain tumescent fluid over the next 24 hours — this is why absorbent pads matter — or closed with a single fine stitch where the director prefers. Pads are applied, then the compression garment is fitted while you are still lying down. You sit, then stand slowly with assistance.

Hour 3: monitored recovery in Cheongdam

You rest in a private recovery room for forty-five to sixty minutes. Blood pressure and oxygen are checked; you drink water and eat something light. If you had sedation, this is where it wears off — most patients are clear-headed within half an hour. The director reviews the result with you, explains what you will see and feel over the next 48 hours, confirms your follow-up time, and you leave with written instructions, spare pads and the WhatsApp line.

Going home and the first night in Gangnam

After sedation, someone walks you to a taxi or your hotel — Apgujeong Rodeo is five minutes on foot and most patients stay within fifteen. After local-only, you may leave alone. Expect pink fluid leaking from the incisions for 12–24 hours; sleep on towels, keep the garment on, take the prescribed pain relief, walk gently around the room every couple of hours, and drink water. Most patients describe the first night as "sore like a hard workout" rather than painful.

Day 1 and day 2: the first check in Cheongdam

You return to ARTNER Cheongdam on day one or two for the first in-person check: incisions inspected, garment adjusted, and the first lymphatic session if you are on the 6-week program. From here you are mobile, dressed and able to sit in a café in Gangnam. Desk work from day two or three; flying home from day five to seven after a second check.