Tummy Tuck Recovery
Once a tummy tuck patient completes his or her tummy tuck surgery, he or she then enters into the tummy tuck recovery or abdominoplasty recovery phase. The actual tummy tuck recovery phase will vary depending on a myriad of factors.
The most predictive measure of a patient’s abdominoplasty recovery time is his or her health. As you can imagine, this fact is true in most surgeries. If the patient is in good health and is physically fit, than they will recover significantly more quickly than if he or she was overweight or not so physically fit. One can assume that if the patient doesn’t follow a proper nutrition program or have an effective exercise regimen, than it will take longer for that patient than a patient who does. Also, another factor that affects the tummy tuck recovery is whether the patient smokes or not. Not surprisingly, the abdominoplasty recovery period will be significantly longer for a patient who smokes than for a non-smoker.
Another item that must be factored into the equation is the type of tummy tuck surgery performed. Was a traditional, mini, or extended tummy tuck performed? Obviously, if the patient just underwent an extended tummy tuck, it will take longer to heal than if that same patient would have to undergo a mini tummy tuck recovery. Lastly, were there any other surgeries performed with the abdominoplasty? As an example, it is very common for a surgeon to perform liposuction in conjunction with a tummy tuck, which will lengthen the tummy tuck recovery period. In this case, the actual length of abdominoplasty recovery will depend on the amount of fat deposits removed during the liposuction. As a side note, the more surgical procedures performed, the greater the likelihood that complications could emerge.
Now that we have identified the main factors that affect the tummy tuck recovery period, we can examine how long the actual abdominoplasty recovery period will take. Since this cosmetic surgery procedure is fairly intense, the patient should not expect to resume any kind of normal routine for at least two weeks. With that said, it is very important that the tummy tuck patient take the prescribed amount of time off in order to heal properly. With that word of caution, it can take up to several weeks (it can easily be at least four weeks) before a patient will be able to resume normal activities. Any activities that involve lifting (especially picking up a heavy toddler), pulling, or pushing should not be rushed. If the patient does choose to ignore this advice, it is quite possible that they will extend their tummy tuck recovery period much longer than it needed to be.
Some abdominoplasty surgeons will actually insist their abdominoplasty patients remain on bed rest in order to accelerate the tummy tuck recovery process. While some patients may not want to follow this advice, it is very important that they do so in order to not hurt themselves.
Some people wonder how stressing the actual tummy tuck recovery is. An interesting fact that many patients learn is that they may be unable to stand up straight during the first week of the recovery from abdominoplasty. This is due to the fact that their skin and abdominal wall muscles have been pulled taunt during the surgery. Fortunately, this condition is very temporary, and you will see a little improvement every day.
Right after the tummy tuck, your post operative care will begin with you remaining in the hospital or operating facility from anywhere from a few hours to as much as two to three days. The length of your stay will depend heavily on the type of abdominoplasty performed, whether it was a mini tummy tuck, an extended tummy tuck, or a traditional tummy tuck. As you can imagine, you are more likely to have to stay longer for an extended tummy tuck than you would have to for a mini tummy tuck. The first night of your tummy tuck recovery, you will be very groggy and possibly nauseous (from the anesthesia) and tired. Nausea and vomiting are common post-operative occurrences. It is best to try to rest and not exert any more energy than is necessary.
In addition, you may have to have a tummy tuck drain. This is a device that is inserted into your stomach (sometimes through the abdominoplasty incision) that collects the fluid that develops between your skin and your abdominal wall muscles. This abdominoplasty drain can stay in for as short as three days and as long as three weeks. While it is an inconvenience, it is definitely worth it in terms of the health benefits it provides. Your doctor will provide instructions on how to measure the tummy tuck drain’s output, how to change it, and any other special directions. If your doctor didn’t use dissolvable stitches, your tummy tuck doctor will usually remove the stitches after about a week. Your doctor should also provide instructions for taking care of surgical dressings, as well as what is and is not acceptable in terms of baths and showers. While you may think that you are going to want to wash up after the surgery, the truth is that you will be too exhausted to wash up. Most likely, you will only be able to take a sponge bath for the first few days of your tummy tuck recovery.
A little discussed side effect of the tummy tuck is constipation. As with any surgical procedure, constipation is a possibility due to the anesthesia. Your doctor may prescribe something for you or you may consider a natural remedy for this minor issue. Natural cure include prunes and apple juice.
Many people are concerned about the level of swelling and discomfort that they may be exposed to. It is very common for swelling to be present for a few weeks after the abdominoplasty. Discomfort will also be present for a few weeks, although your tummy tuck surgeon can prescribe something to alleviate the discomfort. The level of swelling and discomfort will be directly affected by the amount of effort you expend during the tummy tuck recovery period. If you exert more effort than you should, you run the risk of having increased swelling and physical pain.
With that said, many doctors will recommend you begin performing light exercise about a week into the abdominoplasty recovery period. Light exercise can accelerate the time it takes to fully heal by improving circulation. A highly recommended exercise is to perform gentle walking, which you should do every hour or so to minimize the potential of blood clots developing. You must be careful not to exert yourself too much in the beginning: weight lifting and intense cardiovascular activity is not to be initially performed.
From an aesthetic perspective, the visible incisions made by the tummy tuck surgeon will heal after only a few weeks. However, it realistically can take up to a year for the work done on the abdominal muscles to fully heal. It is critical that the patient take good care of himself/herself to ensure their incisions and abdominal muscles heal properly.
Another important aspect to mention is that your doctor will schedule you for several follow-up appointments. While these appointments may seem like a bother during the tummy tuck recovery period, it is very important that you attend them. Usually a patient will ask why they should attend these appointments since the surgery is now complete. The patient may even wonder if the surgeon is simply trying to make a few extra dollars by performing a cursory review. Fortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. The simple reason you need to attend these appointments are because they are the venue for your abdominoplasty surgeon to monitor your healing while also looking for signs of infection. If you doctor finds signs of infection, he or she can treat it with antibiotics. If this infection goes untreated, a minor thing can quickly blossom into a major issue, with the end result being you stuck in the hospital.
Part of the recovery for tummy tuck is that you may need to wear a special garment. This garment is called a compression garment or as it sometimes is known, an “abdominal binder.” You may be asked by your doctor to wear this garment under your clothes for several weeks into the abdominoplasty recovery period. The purpose of this garment is to reduce the level of swelling in the patient by minimizing the amount of pressure on the skin as well as provide the required support to the surgical areas. Also, these compression garments were designed to provide comfort while supporting the best aesthetic surgical outcome. In addition, you may be asked to wear specialized leg stockings to minimize the possibility of developing blood clots in your legs.
While some patients may consider purchasing off-the-shelf, non-medical garments as a cheaper alternative to a medical quality-grade garment, it is worth noting that these non-medical garments can actually prolong your healing process, while worsening the discomfort and swelling you may experience.
In addition to the compression garments, your doctor should prescribe medications to assist in your healing. These medications can both be administered orally and by applying them to the incision sites. The purpose of these medicines is to minimize the possibility of infection becoming a major issue as well as provide pain relief.
During the tummy tuck recovery, it is important for patients to remain aware of how their healing is progressing. There are numerous red flags would should signal you to call your doctor immediately. These flags include breathing difficulties, severe pain, or indications of infection. Indications of infection and include redness at the surgical site or the surgical site releasing pus. At the first sign of any of these symptoms, it is important to immediately call your doctor.
Lastly, don’t be discouraged if you aren’t immediately impressed with the results of your tummy tuck. It will take several months (sometimes as many as three to six months) before the final outcome becomes visible. It will take even longer before the incision scars begin to fade away (sometimes this can take up to nine months). If you are a smoker, it is important to note that this habit can lead to larger stomach scars.
Another thing to note is that the length and difficulty of the tummy tuck recovery is proportional to the noticability of the stomach scarring. In other words, the more strenuous your recovery, the more noticeable your scars will be. This in itself is a great incentive to ensure you get the proper rest, so that your healing can proceed more smoothly. Unfortunately, no matter how smooth your abdominoplasty recovery period goes, your final outcome will still involve scarring.
Many people want to know how long the tummy tuck results will last. Usually, after the tummy tuck recovery period, the tummy tuck results should last for quite a long time (i.e. many, many years). However, there are three exceptions to this rule. First, if the patient (male or female) gains a large amount of weight, then the abdominoplasty results will be undone. This is why it is important to follow a proper nutrition plan and a reasonable exercise regimen.
The second way a tummy tuck will be undone is due to aging. As we age, our abdomens tend to sag regardless of the actions we take. Of course, if the sagging becomes unbearable, it is still possible to undergo another tummy tuck.
The last way to undo a tummy tuck is for a woman to become pregnant. From a medical perspective, the stress of a stretching belly may be too much for the tummy tuck scar. Also from an aesthetical perspective, if a woman’s pregnancy stretches out her skin again, the only way to get the contoured look back is by undergoing another abdominoplasty.
Hopefully, this Abdominoplasty New Jersey Guide article has been helpful in answering many of your tummy tuck and abdominoplasty related questions. For a more detailed answering of your questions, it is best for you to contact a tummy tuck surgeon, as they are best situated to answer all of your tummy tuck recovery questions.
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