Generally, patients should see their flat tummy emerge within three to six months, though it may take as long as a year. Depending on your starting anatomy, a truly flat stomach may not be possible.
Sometimes people do not have a totally flat abdomen after tummy tuck even though the excess skin and fat is removed due to the fact that the intra-abdominal contents still remain intact and are still behind the tightened abdominal muscles.
The surgeon tightened the muscles optimally, but you were too active after surgery and stretched the muscles during repair, which resulted in the protrusion. Lie flat on your back. If the stomach is flat, re-tightening of the muscle surgically will help. If the stomach is protruding, you need to lose weight.
Swelling is a normal part of tummy tuck recovery, and while most of it resolves within the first 2 months, some residual swelling can last for 6 months to a year.
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.
Generally, it takes two to three months to see results, depending on the tummy tuck technique that was performed, the extent of skin laxity, and the patient's general state of health.
A properly performed tummy tuck can reduce your waist size and help you feel confident about your curves again. Some patients may lose many inches off their waist, while others will see more subtle results. It all depends on how much tissue can be removed safely.
While it is absolutely possible to lose weight after abdominoplasty, the amount of weight you can expect to lose depends on the type of procedure performed, how much excess skin you have, how much excess abdominal fat you have, and how much overall fat you need to lose.
It's recommended that patients who underwent surgeries like liposuction or tummy tucks start with three to five massage sessions beginning two weeks after the procedure.
Thinned out muscles and their lining causes this muffin top deformity in some patients. This occurs following muscle tightening if the increased tension makes the muscle and lining stretch out again. The medical terminology for thinned out muscles is muscle attenuation.
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.
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.
During body contouring procedures like a tummy tuck, fat cells are eliminated from the body and cannot return. Because of this, patients may gain weight in other places like the buttocks, legs, arms, and breasts.
Almost all patients will notice a decrease in their clothing size after having a tummy tuck. The size difference post-surgery is dependent on your pre-surgery weight, how your body heals, and the makeup of the tissue that was removed.
Weight Training to Keep Toned
In the weeks following your tummy tuck procedure, you will be able to see a visible difference in your abdominal area. One of the best parts about this surgery is feeling fit and toned once again.
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.
A recent study shows that patients who had a tummy tuck actually reported increased satiety. Satiety is the measure of how full you feel after a certain amount of food during a meal. A majority of patients during the study felt less hungry while also eating less after their tummy tuck procedure.
Plastic surgeons commonly are asked when can I sleep on my side after a tummy tuck. Generally, you can start sleeping on your side after about two weeks post-surgery.
We recommend compression for most liposuction, abdominoplasty, and gender-affirming top surgeries. For abdominoplasty/ tummy tuck, you'll wear a stretchy abdominal binder for the first day or two, and then switch into a high-waisted shaper garment such as Higher Power Spanx.
Second Stage Compression Garments – 2-8 Weeks Post-Op
Patients should move on to the second stage medical-grade compression garment after the drainage from your procedure stops. For maximum recovery, patients should start wearing a second-stage garment immediately after the first stage ends.
It's not uncommon for people who have a tummy tuck to have a smaller appetite for the first three to six months following their surgery. The tightening of skin and muscles in your abdomen may cause your stomach to feel constricted, encouraging you to eat less.
Tummy tucks rejoin and tighten the sagging muscles in the abdominal wall, thereby giving your abs better definition. Part of this process is eliminating unnecessary abdominal fat and removing excess skin; excess fat and skin can mask your well-defined abs.
Can I get a six-pack after a tummy tuck? While an abdominoplasty does tighten the abdominal muscles, the surgery alone isn't designed to give you the appearance of a six pack. However, it is typically possible for the patient to achieve this look through an exercise routine once their recovery process is complete.