Usually patients can go back to work within a week or two. This usually occurs at about the time their drains are removed. I do not prescribe a compression garment like I do for liposuction patients but I do like them to wear an abdominal binder. (Steven Wallach, MD, Manhattan Plastic Surgeon)
Going back to work after Tummy Tuck
Pain is very personal. Most patients are back to work after abdominoplasty in about two weeks. Provided no heavy activity for 4 weeks.
Tummy tuck garment is to decrease the swelling support the skin flaps together, and most patients feel more secure with it. (Samir Shureih, MD, Baltimore Plastic Surgeon)
The amount of pain after a Tummy Tuck is dependent on the surgeon’s use of either pain pumps or numbing the tightened tissues. As our recovery room nurses could attest, our patients are not in pain and do not walk bent over like “L’s”. You can read one of their accounts in the post below.
The vast majority of our patients return back to desk jobs 7 – 10 days after a Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty). I prefer not to use a garment for the first week but like to use a soft garment the second week after surgery and keep it for 4 weeks after surgery. Dr. P. Aldea (Peter A. Aldea, MD, San Diego Plastic Surgeon)
Recovery time after a tummy tuck
In most cases, I would recommend taking at least 2 weeks off of work to recover. Avoid any heavy-lifting or anything strenuous which could cause complications. Depending on the activity level required at work you may want to request as much time you would need to heal and rest.
This surgery is very invasive and you will want to consider staying hunched over for 4 weeks to avoid any superficial openings. (Tom J. Pousti, MD, FACS, West Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon)
The length of recovery depends on the extent of the tummy tuck procedure and your own ability to heal. Generally, you can return to work in a week or two for most of our tummy tuck procedures, but this period can be longer. (Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS, )