Swelling After Abdominoplasty Is Normal This area is rich with blood vessels and lymphatic vessels (the body's drainage system), but abdominoplasty surgery will impair the regular functions of these systems, slowing down the drainage and resulting in a fluid buildup, or swelling.
While minor weight fluctuations among adults are normal, significant weight gain (generally over ten pounds) after a tummy tuck can lead to the accumulation of excess fat in the stomach once again. In addition, stretch marks and loose skin may return, all of which can impact your tummy tuck results.
Swelling After Surgery
Typically, it is not a significant amount of swelling, and it should not affect your weight drastically. Your weight will fluctuate a bit after the surgery, which is normal for patients in The Woodlands.
In general, if you suck in your belly, and pinch your skin, that will define your subcutaneous fat (i.e., what you can pinch), versus visceral fat (i.e., around the organs).
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.
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.
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.
The best way to remove visceral fat is through a healthy diet and physical activity or bariatric surgery. “I always tell my patients that the best way to reduce visceral belly fat is through a healthy lifestyle.
Excess visceral fat can pose serious health risks, but when you embark on a healthy diet and exercise plan, this fat is often the first to disappear. This means you're likely to notice weight loss in your abdominal area first.
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.
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.
It is even harder to keep the weight at bay from your tummy once you've lost it. Recent studies are showing patients who undergo abdominoplasty – better known as a tummy tuck – are keeping the weight off and even losing weight long after their surgery. Learn more about the long lasting benefits of the tummy tuck.
The best way to tell if you have visceral fat is to measure your waist. The waist circumference is a good indicator of how much fat is deep inside the belly, around the organs. For women, your risk of chronic disease is increased if the waist circumference is 80 cm or more and for men 94cm or more.
Remember, while tummy tucks do remove fat from the abdomen, it doesn't remove it from any other part of the body. You can still gain fat in other areas, even following the procedure.
However, losing more than this may result in loose and excess skin again after the surgery. This can affect the longevity of your abdominoplasty. Some patients may require another tummy tuck procedure and skin-tightening treatment to restore their results.
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. “The timing is ideal because the bruising will be gone, so it won't be painful,” Dr. Doft shares.
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.
Unfortunately, it is possible to gain weight after abdominoplasty. Note, the procedure permanently removes fat cells from the abdomen and your body cannot replace them. However, not all fat cells are removed.
Some tummy tuck patients experience weight gain after surgery and notice increased abdominal fat as a result. The fat tends to appear in the upper part of the abdomen while the lower abdomen remains relatively flat.
Muscle tightness - Muscles plication (or tightening) is usually a part of abdominoplasty. Either failure of the sutures or some laxity can cause a bulge. If the change in your contour was sudden or if you felt a pop - think about the plication having ruptured.
Tummy tucks can produce belly buttons that are too round, too narrow or too tight and have a visible circular scar around them. “This is often a dead giveaway for a tummy tuck.”
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.
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.