Your body will naturally produce fluid and swelling in your tissues after abdominoplasty. A good portion of the swelling will subside by 3-4 weeks, but remember that the fluid drainage channels of your abdominal skin have been re-routed by surgery and the “detours” need time to truly open up and drain the fluid.
Although much of fluid resolves within 1-2 months, there is still gradual improvement for the 6-8 months after abdominoplasty. In general, swelling resolves from the upper abdomen first, and from the lower abdomen last, mostly due to gravity’s effect on fluid while you’re in the upright position most of the day, and also that the areas near the incision need more time for the fluid to drain.
The bulk of tummy tuck swelling can take up to 2 months to subside. Additional mild swelling can last up to 6-12 months.
Following a tummy tuck surgery, swelling lasts 4-12 months with an average of 6 months for full resolution. You will notice a big change in the first several months and then a gradual decrease over the next 4 months. Swelling up and down during certain periods is also normal.
Swelling after an abdominoplasty generally is seen up to 2-3 months postop. Thereafter it continues to improve slowly along with the scars for up to 18 months.
Wearing a compression binder in the 1st month (or more as guided by your surgeon) is paramount to minimising bruising and swelling.
In general, approximately 80% of the swelling should be gone in the first three to four weeks. The remaining swelling may take as much as two to four months to finally subside.
Everyone is different regarding how much they swell and how long they stay swollen. A heavier person may expect swelling to last longer because there is more remaining subcutaneous tissue for the fluid to reside.
Swelling will slowly subside following a tummy tuck with most of the swelling going away in the first 3 months. Swelling is fluid within the cells of the tissue while a seroma is fluid that has accumulated between two surfaces.
While an appreciable amount of swelling will go away in the first month it will take another few months for most of the swelling to be gone and up to a year for all of the swelling to go away. A compression garment such as an abdominal binder is an important part of having the swelling go away consistently.
Tummy Tuck Surgery Swelling depends on the patient. Tummy Tuck Surgery Swelling could last up to 2 months.
After a tummy tuck procedure, swelling is normal and expected to occur for about 2 to 3 months. Medications can be prescribed to relieve any pain caused by the procedure. Normal activities can be resumed usually within 4-6 weeks. If you have any concerns, you should consult with your physician.
At the one month mark the majority of the tummy tuck swelling will be gone. Another ~10% of your Tummy Tuck swelling will be reduced during the second month. However, the last 5-10% of your swelling may require 6-12 months to completely resolve.
The factors that can shorten swelling postoperatively are
- Operative Technique: The Lockwood Technique is my favorite because it has limited undermining and diminishes tension at the skin closure. This preserves blood supply maximally and also diminishes scarring. See link below for a full explanation and diagrams.
- Post operative Compression: The choice of garments is crucial. The garment should have shoulder straps so it doesn’t fold or displace when you sit. It should extend below the hip so compression is uniform above and below the incision. Remember, the pubis and upper thighs can also become swollen after surgery. See link below
If tummy tuck is combined with liposuction, it takes around 3-4 months for nearly all swelling to go away. At two months, there might still be some swelling in the lower part of the abdomen.
In my experience the fullness of the lower tummy following tummy tuck can last 2 – 3 months before we begin to see the nice flat contour that we were aiming for. This is not only because of classic edema, or swelling, in the tissues, but also because the muscles have not had a chance to fully loosen and elongate, and until that happens the lower abdomen tends to look thick and bulky.
Have patience, three weeks is still very early. If you have any concern about increases in swelling, especially if you think you may have a seroma, or fluid collection under the skin of the abdomen, go in and have your surgeon take a look.
Swelling tummy tuck usually is greatly diminished after 6-8 weeks. However, some patients can see swelling in their lower abdomen for a longer time due to gravity and disruption of the lymphatic channels in the abdomen which carry body lymphatic fluid around. Wearing a compression garment definitely helps to reduce the swelling.
Swelling from the tummy tuck procedure can last anywhere from 6 weeks to 3 months. Wearing an abdominal binder around the waist immediately after surgery is imperative for reducing initial swelling. The area around the incision line can also appear more swollen for the first few months but will subside gradually up to 9 months or so.
The average length of time for swelling from a tummy tuck is 4-6 weeks. During this recovery it is imperative that you wear your binder after a tummy tuck and limit your exercise, including no heavy lifting for 6 weeks.
The majority of swelling tummy tuck will dissipate within four weeks of surgery, although some residual swelling may remain up to 12 weeks. The initial post-operative swelling is related to the significance of the procedure, while the residual swelling can be related to patient’s activity levels during their recovery. Compression garments are a great way to reduce swelling and aid in patient recovery.
Everyone is still swollen at 3 weeks. I recommend wearing a compression garment and also post lymphatic massages 3 times a week and that really helps.
I think the swelling can persist in some patients for up to 3 months; however, good compression and massage and a low salt diet should hasten the time a bit.
Barring no seromas or blood collectins, a majority of swelling subsides in 2-3 months. Final results in 6-9 months. There is no defintive timeline as it is individualized.