One to Three Months After Surgery The incision should be fully healed, but it's possible your remaining scar will still appear red and raised. This will eventually become flat and fade.
Six months after a tummy tuck, scars typically start to fade and may be a soft brown or pink shade. You can expect an average of eight to twelve months for tummy tuck scars to fully heal and fade.
It is important to keep all bandages and tension reducing dressings on your incision as long as it is recommended after your procedure. Avoid tension on the operated area in general for as long as possible. Scar creams, when used regularly, can promote the faster healing and fading of the tummy tuck scar.
One Year After Surgery
One year later, your abdominoplasty should be fully healed, and results visible. Your inflammation should be gone, and your scar faded.
Incision care
Wash the area daily with warm water, and pat it dry. Don't use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, which can slow healing. Keep the area clean and dry. You may cover it with a gauze bandage if it weeps or rubs against clothing.
A compression garment should only exert gentle, supportive pressure, so it should lay flat and smooth on the skin. As a general rule, the correct tightness for your compression garment leaves space to slide a hand under without difficulty.
We suggest scar massage many times throughout the day for 5-10 minutes each session. It is important to strictly follow your post-operative tummy tuck instructions. We encourage you to walk around immediately in the post- operative period.
Answer: Activity after a Tummy Tuck
Keeping patients from overdoing it can be a challenge. If you do too much too early you put yourself at risk for seromas, hematomas, or incision separation. Be careful and follow the instructions of your surgeon.
Answer: Lymphatic massage is not a necessity at all
Lymphatic massage is not required after tummy tuck. You did not miss out on anything. It had no impact on scar or the final result.
In the first week after tummy tuck surgery, Dr. Patronella recommends patients take short walks of 10 minutes, gradually increasing this to one mile, twice daily by days 10 to 14 days after the procedure.
Plastic surgeons recommend wearing a compression garment day and night except when bathing for the first 2 weeks after surgery. This period might vary depending on the procedure and extent of your surgery. After 3-6 weeks, you might be instructed to switch to wearing it for half the day.
Immediately following a tummy tuck, your abdomen will be placed in a medical-grade compression garment to reduce side effects, like inflammation. Patients are advised to wear this garment with loose-fitting clothing that is easy to remove.
Answer: Compression after Abdominoplasty
This garment helps minimize swelling, contour your abdominal region, and support your muscle repair. After 6 weeks, some patients prefer to transition to comfortable support clothing, such as SPANX®, but it is up to you and what you prefer.
How long do I need to wear compression garments following Tummy Tuck? Following a Tummy tuck surgery for your abdomen, you will be advised to wear compression garments for 6-8 weeks after the surgery. It should be worn throughout the day and should be removed only while you bathe.
A belly button shaper is not required after a tummy tuck procedure as the area can not close assuming no healing issues develop.
When can I wear jeans after a tummy tuck? Most patients after tummy tuck surgery feel comfortable wearing jeans about 3-4 weeks after surgery. This gives time for the drains to be removed (if they were used), the incision to heal and some of the swelling to go down.
Most women lose between 2 and 3 pants sizes after a tuck, but there are patients who lose even more. If you had a lot of loose skin before the procedure, for example, you could go down 4 more pants sizes.
You can usually slip into your favorite jeans around 3 to 4 weeks after your tummy tuck. It's reasonable to be excited to wear your “normal” clothing and show off your new, flat midsection.
Dr. Sajjadian recommends you sleep in a reclined position for three to four weeks after surgery, depending on the level of correction performed. Traditional tummy tucks with incisions running the length of your pelvis may require up to four weeks of sleeping in a recliner to enhance healing during recovery.
Stage 1 starts once surgery is complete and lasts for about 6 weeks, after which you move into stage 2. You will wear compression garments throughout recovery but stage 2 compression garments provide more intense therapy to match your body's healing.
To have the best outcome from your procedure, you will need to wear compression garments for at least 6 to 8 weeks after tummy tuck surgery.
Stage 3: 6-12 weeks post OP (Strong Compression) This is the sculpting phase. You will need your body to have recovered at least 90% of the trauma caused by surgery. On this stage you will downsize again from previous garments and assist the body to have that flat and even shape desired.
A good rule of thumb is that you should just be able to slide your hand under it without strain. Wearing a binder or compression garment too tight can also cause it to roll down. The garment should lay smooth and flat across your skin. Doing so will prevent problems with healing, such as undesirable fluid collection.
Second stage
After four weeks of post-surgery your body won't create so much fluid around the surgical site so you can start wearing different type of garments. Unlike the first stage, second stage garments don't have zippers or eyes which makes them even more comfortable to wear under your clothes.
Surgeons often recommend sleeping on your back while recovering from a tummy tuck, but you may be able to sleep on your side a few weeks after surgery. When you sleep on your back, you should elevate yourself with pillows. This can help make sleeping on your back more comfortable and easier to get used to.