One of the most difficult plastic surgeries in terms of recovery is tummy tuck. And this is natural, because tummy tuck can sometimes be quite extensive, and the body takes much more time and effort to recover from it.
In the hospital the patient spends from one to three days, depending on the volume of surgical intervention, as well as depending on the state of health of the patient. During abdominoplasty to the patient are established drains – special tubes of silicone. They help to get rid of excess fluid that can accumulate in the operated area. Drainage tubes are removed during the first ligation, or two days after a tummy tuck.
Ligations are held two or three times a week until the removal of sutures, which occurs approximately on 14 or 15 day of tummy tuck recovery. Bioresorbable yarns are used when performing abdominoplasty is almost always. They eventually will disappear by themselves, and they do not need to be removed.
Typically, the recovery period of tummy tuck recovery depends on the patient’s age and the amount of abdominal plasty.
You should be prepared that the first weeks after tummy tuck, you will be disturbed by post-operative swelling and pain in the abdomen. Pain is leveled by taking painkillers. Plastic surgeon prescribes painkillers, antibiotics, diet and limit physical activity for a period of recovery.
For quick recovery after tummy tuck you need to strictly adhere to a set of rules and guidelines of your plastic surgeon.
First days after tummy tuck:
- Pain go away after taking pain medications;
- You can eat a light meal. In the future, your plastic surgeon will make you a special diet for the entire period of recovery;
- In the first day is prohibited to leave bed . The first attempts to get out of bed can be done until the next day and only with the help of medical personnel.
Important rules of tummy tuck recovery
The first time you have to sleep, sit and walk in bent position. You can walk and sit, with tilted back and bent legs. In the first days you must sleep on your back with bent legs. It’s not because it hurts to unbend during tummy tuck recovery.
The fact is that post-operative scar is in the very unfavorable conditions. The skin on the abdomen is constantly tensioned. This leads to a stretching of the seam. If you straightened in full growth, skin and skin tissue will stretch and you can not get a small scar in the form of thin string, and get a quite unsightly wide scar. To avoid this, the first 3 months during the tummy tuck recovery you can not engage in fitness and do not expose yourself in heavy physical stress. For the same reason the first 3 months you can not pick up items, which weight is more than 6 pounds. Nevertheless, it will be necessary to perform a set of exercises which the plastic surgeon will advise you.
Remember, as well as after any plastic surgery at recovery time after a tummy tuck is necessary:
- forget about the solarium or the beach;
- hot baths or douches also are not desirable;
- it must be remembered that during the same three-four months after surgery, you should always wear a special compression garment. It will help to avoid all sorts of complications. You can take it off for only a short period of time. For example, you can take a shower only after 10 – 14 days after a tummy tuck. The first month during washing and drying compression underwear if you do not have a spare set, you need to lie on your back without leaving upright abdomen without support.
After abdominoplasty are possible complications of local character. As after any surgery, during tummy tuck recovery can not be avoided of edemas, which may persist for a long enough period of time – from one to eight months.
In case of occurrence the seroma (accumulation of serous fluid in the operated area), being treated through regular punctures. It is also possible partial loss of feeling in the operated area, which is then fully restored. This period may be different – from 2 months to a year.
If all the doctor’s instructions will be fulfilled by you, then postoperative scar will eventually become pale, and in a year will be almost unnoticeable.
You can speed up the process of scarring using special creams and ointments. Wearing silicone patch will make incision maximum neat and unobtrusive.
If you want to “get rid” of the seam forever, then you can easily disguise it with a tattoo, or enlist the help of laser cosmetology.
Also need to know if you plan to give birth, then better to do abdominoplasty later, as pregnancy can worsen the result of this operation.
If it so happens that you decide to get pregnant and give birth after a tummy tuck, it is necessary that at least one year has passed since the operation
And let your appearance always pleases you.
Tummy tuck recovery tips from plastic surgeons:
- There are a lot of factors that effect your recovery with a tummy tuck. For most patients, the worst discomfort is the first two to three days and it gradually gets better after that. Most normal activities and be returned to in about two weeks but six weeks for heavy lifting, abdominal exercises or strenuous activity. This is because it takes six weeks to build up enough scar tissue that you are no longer relying on the stitches in the muscle to hold things together.Many surgeons have discovered that adding tumescent fluid (a large volume of dilute local anesthetic) to the surgery dramatically reduces pain after surgery and speeds recovery. After starting this practice, I have had several patients take only Tylenol for pain after a tummy tuck and the nurses in the recovery room ask me “Why do your patients do so much better than other surgeon’s?” The only difference is that I take the time to add this fluid to keep my patients as comfortable as possible. (James McMahan, MD Columbus Plastic Surgeon)
- Tummy tucks can be performed as an outpatient procedure (the majority of the time for my patients) or with a brief, typically overnight, stay in the hospital or at a recovery center. Like the other authors here, I advise my patients that they will be walking doubled over (like they have a tummy ache, which they do, in a manner of speaking) for the first 5-10 days depending on how tight the closure is and how much skin was removed. Depending on the surgeon, you may have drains that remain in place for 1-2 weeks, sometimes longer, and you may be instructed to wear an abdominal binder for over a month. Most of the acute pain, requiring strong pain medications, is in the first few days. Pain pump systems to deliver local anesthetic to the surgical area can be used, though they add somewhat to the cost of the procedure. Your incisions may take 3 weeks or so to heal to the point that the surgeon is not worried about them reopening, assuming your healing is normal. What most patients mean when they ask about recovery is, “how long before I can work or exercise.”
- I tell my patients that they can work at about 7-10 days postop if they do not do manual labor. Obviously, if you feel coherent enough, you can sit at a computer and type questions on RealSelf the night of your surgery if you like, but if you have to stack boxes for a living, it might take 3 weeks before you will be comfortable doing so, and you should still take it easy at that point. Exercising the abdominal area is usually restricted for 4-6 weeks postop to allow the muscle layer and skin to fully heal. Obviously, surgeons have individual preferences so describing your goals and activity expectations before surgery is very important so your surgeon can counsel you individually on what to plan for postoperatively. (Tim A. Sayed, MD, FACS Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon)
- The recovery for each individual is different. I generally tell my patients to take 1-2 weeks off from work depending on how physical your job is. The first week is limited to activities of daily living. Week 2 you may start to drive, shop, work with limited activity. Week 3-4 you may begin walking for exercise. At about 4-6 weeks you may resume regular activity and increase your workouts according to how you feel. At 6 weeks your body’s tissues are well healed and should tolerate aerobic exercise. (Anthony Dardano, DO Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon)