Tummy tuck recovery time is longer than for other cosmetic surgeries. You have incredibly strong and tight abdominal muscles. It’s only natural that they would require rest after bearing the brunt of supporting your organs and intestines as you breathe and move around.
Tummy tuck recovery times vary from patient to patient based on their individual muscle tightness prior to surgery. If you’re thinking about having a belly tuck, it’s important to ask your doctor about the healing process beforehand.read more article about how does muscle repair impact a tummy tuck /Tummy Tuck With Muscle Repair Before And After
How Long Does It Take For Muscle Repair To Heal After Tummy Tuck
Over 130,000 tummy tucks are done each year in the United States, making it the most popular cosmetic surgery in the country.
However, as the operation grows in popularity, so does the number of those who question its efficacy and the proper way it should be performed.
A stomach tuck, in brief, is a surgical operation that may be performed for cosmetic or medical reasons, or for both. For any therapeutic purpose, muscle restoration will likely be necessary. Muscle restoration may often improve the cosmetic outcomes as well. Tummy tucks may be performed without the need to repair any muscles in certain people.
In this article, Dr. Howard Farber of Farber Plastic Surgery covers the various stomach tuck techniques and whether or not muscle restoration is essential. Make an appointment with Dr. Farber’s staff now to find out more about the services they provide.
IMPROVE AESTHETIC APPEARANCE
There are a lot of people who want to have belly tucks because of the extra skin they have there. This is a common side effect of losing a lot of weight and exercising regularly, which leaves loose skin in the abdominal region.
Tummy tucks help patients achieve a flatter, smoother, more defined, and aesthetically attractive abdominal area by removing excess skin and fat.
RESTORE THE STRUCTURE AND MUSCULATURE OF THE ABDOMINAL WALL – DIASTASIS
For some patients, particularly those who have recently been pregnant, a medical condition called diastasis is the primary factor compelling them towards a tummy tuck.
Diastasis is the horizontal separation of the abdominal muscles. The rectus muscles, or the ‘6 pack muscles’, commonly become separated down the middle during pregnancy, and medical intervention through a tummy tuck is often required to reconnect them and restore proper structure to the abdominal wall
HOW DOES MUSCLE REPAIR IMPACT A TUMMY TUCK?
Tummy tucks that rebuild abdominal muscles need more time and money to recover from than those that don’t.
The recovery period for patients who get a stomach tuck for cosmetic reasons is much shorter since the muscles do not need to be repaired.
Patients who just get an aesthetic stomach tuck and no muscle restoration should expect to be back to work in about two weeks.
However, in tummy tucks aimed at repairing the rectus muscles, the surgeon will suture the fascia, or connective tissue, of the rectus muscles together and draw them close to one another. There has been a major shift in the composition of the abdominal muscles. For the alterations to become established as normal in the body, it takes around two months.
As we’ve established, the motivation for a stomach tuck is the single most important factor in determining whether or not a patient will need muscle repair after their treatment.
Muscle repair is necessary if the abdominal wall musculature has been damaged, either directly by diastasis or indirectly through a weak abdominal wall leading to other medical disorders such a hernia.
A mommy makeover or other full abdominal restoration operation may do wonders for a new mother’s self-esteem and confidence by restoring the abdomen region’s cosmetic and functional structure.
However, if you’ve just lost a lot of weight and only have extra skin, your belly tuck probably won’t need any muscle restoration. It will take around two weeks for your body to recover from having extra skin removed, fat removed by liposuction, and an incision closed by your surgeon.
Because of this, a belly tuck does not usually include muscle restoration.
Many people who are considering a stomach tuck would be better off if they did not need muscle repair. This is because there is less risk involved, the treatment is less expensive, and there is much less time required for recovery.
Nonetheless, an essential step in determining whether or not you require muscle repair from your tummy tuck is consulting a certified, experienced, and credible plastic surgeon.
Tummy Tuck Muscle Repair Failure Symptoms
Poor repositioning of the abdominal button is a classic indicator of a botched stomach tuck. If your belly button seems unnaturally high or low, it may be because the skin around it has been pulled and tightened, changing its natural form and location.
Tummy tucks are big surgeries with relatively long scars and a large raw surface area under the skin that has to heal resulting in occasional wound problems and delayed healing.
Blood Supply
During a tummy tuck procedure, the skin and any fat on the abdomen are elevated off of the underlying muscle fascia so that the muscle can be tightened with sutures and the skin can be repositioned, pulled tight and the excess removed. In this process, about 80% of the blood supply to the skin is removed so that the lower abdominal skin has only around 20% left. This can cause delay in the healing of any wound that develops in that area.
No Nicotine
It is critical that the remaining blood vessels remain intact to prevent any further reduction in blood supply so that a critical level is not reached, which can result in skin loss. Inhaling cigarette smoke or secondary smoke within a month before of after surgery can have devastating effects and is absolutely prohibited as it results in constriction of those remaining blood vessels. This also includes nicotine patches, gum and e-cigarettes for the same period of time.
Tummy Tuck With Muscle Repair Before And After
Abdominoplasty procedures vary. The length of time it takes to recuperate following surgery varies from patient to patient, especially for those procedures that need more substantial intervention. The goal of a belly tuck is to reduce fat and tighten the abdominal muscles, giving the patient a more toned and youthful profile and allowing them to fit into flattering new clothing.
Incisions may be made to realign the belly button, or they can be longer depending on how much fat and skin need to be removed. However, whether or not a muscle repair is included in a tummy tuck, also known as an abdominoplasty, is one of the most important determinants in how quickly you recover from the procedure.
It’s easy to visualize the muscle we’re referring about if you’ve seen the abs of even a single superhero. The rectus abdominis is a group of muscles in the abdomen that extend vertically from the pubic bone. It’s bilateral, with a dividing line of tissue called the linea alba separating its left and right halves.
Overstretching of the linea alba may occur during pregnancy or after gaining a lot of weight or suffering a lifting accident. This causes an outward protrusion of the stomach that persists long after the excess weight (from pregnancy or otherwise) has been lost, since the two sides of the muscle have moved farther apart. Diastasis recti is the name given to this disorder.
It’s not only an aesthetic problem; this ailment may weaken your core and compromise your posture. Constant stomach, hip, and back discomfort, as well as incontinence, may have a devastating effect on a person’s daily life.