How long is recovery from a tummy tuck
Staying after a tummy tuck
In my practice all patients spend the night after a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty). In some cases patients feel more comfortable adding one or two more nights in the hospital though that is unusual. Most patients go home the next day. You can find more information about abdominopasty on the attached link. (Adam Rubinstein, MD, Miami Plastic Surgeon)
Hospital stay for a tummy tuck
The majority of my patients go home the same day as a tummy tuck. If they do need to stay (usually do to having a concurrent breast surgery), they go home the next day. (David Bogue, MD, Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon)
Tummy tuck is an outpatient surgery
My tummny tuck patients, with rare exception, go home the same day as the procedure. The rare exceptions go home the following morning. (Carmen Kavali, MD, Atlanta Plastic Surgeon)
Most of our tummy tucks are outpatient procedures
Tummy tucks are a very popular and effective way to contour the abdomen. In our practice, this procedure takes approximately 3 hours and is usually performed as an outpatient surgery. This avoids a hospital stay and helps patients ambulate more quickly and recover faster. We perform tummy tucks as an inpatient procedure when they are combined with other surgeries such as gynecologic procedures. Remember that tummy tucks are a significant procedure and that it is essential that you work with a board-certified plastic surgeon was great deal of experience in abdominoplasty and body contouring.
They will be able to assess your physical condition and medical status to determine which setting and combination of procedures is best and safest for you. To learn more about tummy tucks, see tummy tuck photos. (Pat Pazmino, MD, Miami Plastic Surgeon)
Safety is most important with Tummy Tuck!
Hospitals are for sick people, not patients recovering from cosmetic surgery. Safety is very important, so I send all of my tummy tuck patients to an outpatient, nurse-supervised recovery retreat for a minimum of one night. (Kevin Brenner, MD, FACS, Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon) Staying overnight after a tummy tuck depends on the length of surgery. For example, if you have other procedures done at the same time, pre-existing medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, or little post-operative help at home, I advise my patients to stay overnight if they don’t mind the additional cost.
Everyone who has stayed overnight has always been relieved that they did. Moving around the first day is very important, and having more help is essential as the core of your body will be swollen and have some discomfort – even with the newer pain pumps available.
Also, there is significant safety in staying overnight – you are being observed by nurses, being well hydrated with IV fluid and any pain or nausea is easily controlled with the additional resources available that you would not have at home.
A majority of my patients spend the night and go home with much more ease the next day. I have not yet met anyone who regretted staying overnight. If your loved ones at home are not comfortable taking care of you at home right away, it will only create stress on them and you, which is not good for recovery.
The best thing to do is have the tummy tuck surgery in a facility where you have the option of staying overnight if you so choose after your initial recovery from a tummy tuck – such as a hospital or surgical center with overnight capability.
With the right preop preparation tummy tucks are safe whether done as an outpatient or with an overnight stay – as long as you consider all factors specific to your situation.
It is a very individual choice that is guided by your board certified plastic surgeon. (Bahram Ghaderi, MD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)
When I ran the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of Washington Medical Center for 10 years, we admitted all tummy tuck patients overnight after surgery. Now, in my own private facility with physician anesthesia for the last 9 years, I send all tummy tuck patients home after 1.5 hours in recovery.
I call all patients at home myself the night of their surgery and it is amazing how well they are doing at home in their own surroundings when compared to what seemed to be a much bigger recovery from a tummy tuck when they were in the hospital setting. While there is no problem staying in the hospital, I would recommend going home with your loved ones if possible.
The recovery from a tummy tuck seems much better. I always see the patients the next day in my office to be sure they are ambulating well and doing well.
If it is anticipated preop that you need to stay in the hospital for medical reasons, it might be that a tummy tuck is more operation than you should take on.
It is the biggest insult to the body that plastic surgeons routinely perform and not to be taken lightly. (Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)
Of the answers below, 3 recommend an overnight stay and 3 prefer to do it as an outpatient, but I think most often the patient is sent home the same day and that is my preference as well. The indwelling “pain pumps” such as On-Q provide good pain control, and there is no real evidence that a hospital stay is safer if the patient is healthy and the procedure is not unreasonably long.
Keep in mind also that hospitals are full of sick people, so you may be exposed to things that increase your risk of complications. So it comes down to preference, convenience, and expense. (Richard Baxter, MD, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)
This requires pre-operative medical clearance by your physician and a supportive home-care environment, and that includes someone to take you home and help you afterwards. There are also specialty hospitals and nurses for hire as alternatives. If you have health issues or pain control is anticipated to be a problem, you may need to be hospitalized.
Usually, one is not in the hospital for more than a day or two. Your best bet is to discuss this with your Plastic Surgeon and your Internist to see what is most appropriate for you. (Daryl K. Hoffman, MD, Los Gatos Plastic Surgeon)
In most cases, there is no need to stay overnight. Most patients do very well going home after the procedure and feel much more comfortable recovering in their own homes instead of a hospital. I would, however, take the advice of your particular plastic surgeon, and if he or she would feel more comfortable with you staying one night in the hospital, then I would go ahead and do it. (Shahram Salemy, MD, FACS, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)
Traditionally patients would stay one night in the hospital. Many of my colleagues perform this procedure as an outpatient( patient goes home the same day). I have recently been doing as an outpatient and have had good success with it. If I am combining it with more than just a simple liposuction, I more than likely keep patients overnight. (Steven Wallach, MD, Manhattan Plastic Surgeon)