It requires weeks to heal and usually longer to start experiencing the flatter, firmer abdomen you expect to have after surgery. Specifically, in the days following the procedure, your stomach will be swollen and the incision site will be red, scabbed, and very tender.
They have different shapes and sizes with different reasons for wanting the procedure. You must be close to your desired weight for six to twelve months before undergoing a tummy tuck. Most surgeons will recommend patients should be between 10-15 pounds from their goal weight.
To be a suitable tummy tuck candidate, you should be in good overall health but have excess skin (that has lost its elasticity) throughout the abdominal area. You may also have severely weakened or separated stomach muscles. You should be at a stable weight that you feel you can maintain following tummy tuck surgery.
Abdominoplasty, or tummy tuck, surgically rejuvenates the lower body by removing excess fat and skin while repairing stretched or torn stomach muscles. Tummy tuck recovery is approximately three months long. While post-op swelling may last several weeks, a tummy tuck generally takes six weeks to heal and look normal.
Even in most normal weight and extremely fit women, the abdomen may not be completely flat following abdominoplasty. It is realistic for patients to expect improvement in the flatness of the stomach, but should not immediately assume that their abdomen will be entirely flat.
The first three to five days are the most difficult period of tummy tuck recovery. You will spend much of this time reclining – often even sleeping in a recliner. During this first week when the pain is most severe, Dr. Slack will prescribe a combination of narcotics and muscle relaxers.
Whether you're contemplating a Mommy Makeover package or just want to undergo a tummy tuck, you'll be relieved to know that any pain from this cosmetic procedure is far less than that experienced after a C-section.
There will be some discomfort after a tummy tuck, with the worst discomfort experienced within the first week. On a scale of 1 – 10, pain is often estimated at around a 6-7 for the the first few days to a week, reducing to around a 3 – 4 in the second week. This would, of course, depend on the individual.
While a tummy tuck incision is similar to a C-section, the intra abdominal component of the operation is not there. This essentially means that a tummy tuck is less invasive procedure compared to the cesarean section.
The tummy tuck is very useful when exercise and diet have failed to tighten the abdominal muscles. However, a tummy tuck is not really designed to make you look “thinner.” Rather, the tummy tuck improves the muscle profile of the abdomen, which in turn can have the effect of making you look more fit and toned.
The good news is that tummy tuck procedures are very safe, with high success rates and low rates of complications. According to an American Society of Plastic Surgeons® (ASPS) survey of over 3,500 surgeries, over 95% of patients had zero complications.
Troy Pittman, a board-certified Washington D.C.-based plastic surgeon, patients who have obesity, a lot of visceral fat (located near vital organs), underlying medical conditions or blood-clotting disorders should refrain from having tummy tucks.
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.
A tummy tuck can result in a weight loss of approximately four pounds. If you opt for a mini truck, you can expect to lose around three pounds of excess skin and fat. If you opt for an extended tuck, you can expect to lose around five pounds of excess skin and fat.
Full tummy tucks help patients lose clothing sizes and inches in their midsection, but weight loss is usually not more than a few pounds. The average woman can expect to lose two to three dress sizes after a tummy tuck, while men can expect to drop several pant sizes.
Whilst the removal of this can result in some loss of body mass, a tummy tuck is not a weight loss solution. In fact, removing excess skin can make it easier for patients to shed pounds and contour their bodies post-surgery.
You may notice that your bowel movements are not regular right after your surgery. This is common. Try to avoid constipation and straining with bowel movements. You may want to take a fibre supplement every day.
While pain tolerance can differ from individual to individual, patients often say the process of recovering from tummy tuck surgery is more painful than liposuction. While liposuction requires small incisions in the skin only, many tummy tuck techniques involve incisions that penetrate the muscle.
If loose skin is a concern for you, a tummy tuck will give you the best results. If you simply have small pockets of fat around your midsection that you'd like to address, liposuction is probably the best option for you.
Tummy tuck pain is similar to that of C-section or laparoscopy. A hysterectomy is definitely more painful than a tummy tuck.
Bed rest is recommended for the first 2 days after your tummy tuck procedure. On day 3, activity is encouraged but should be limited.
You should still avoid any particularly strenuous workouts, as well as exercises targeting the abdominal area, such as sits ups or weight lifting. Walking or stationary cycling can be a good place to start, with more vigorous exercise not recommended until the 6-week mark.
How long do you walk hunched over after a tummy tuck? You will need to walk hunched over or bent at the waist for about a week. This helps prevent additional pressure on your incision lines.