Tummy tuck surgery pain is managed with a combination of medications and other techniques. The surgeon will talk to you about the best options for your surgery. You may need to take medication before your surgery and after to help manage pain. You may also be given an injection of numbing medicine at the time of your operation. This helps keep you comfortable during the procedure, but won’t completely eliminate all discomfort.
Many people find that they can still feel some discomfort after their tummy tuck. This is normal, but it shouldn’t last more than a few days after surgery. If you have extreme pain after your operation, let your doctor know right away so that he or she can treat it appropriately.
How Bad Is Tummy Tuck Pain
For those who are looking to tone every inch of their bodies, tummy tuck has always been a great option. Tummy tuck or abdominoplasty eliminates the piled fat from a protruded stomach, giving a shapelier surface in the abdominal area.
In general, people are mostly concerned about the pain and discomfort they would have to deal with after the surgery. That’s why in this blog post we share what you should know about the post-operative pain and its management.
HOW MUCH PAIN SHOULD I TOLERATE?
Whether you are undergoing a full or mini tummy tuck, it involves some levels of pain. No need to worry though! It will not be long-lasting, holding you back from work or normal routines forever!
If you’ve heard some horror stories about the pain after plastic surgeries, keep in mind that people do dramatize their experiences most of the time. To fully understand what you will feel after getting a tummy tuck, here we provide you with a pain timeline:
On the day of the surgery
After the operation, when the numbing goes away, the pain will show up. You will feel tightness, tenderness, and discomfort at the surgical site as well as inside your muscles which have been pulled and sewn together.
The first week after the surgery
You should expect to feel the maximum amount of pain and soreness during this week. You can take medications in order to ease the pain. Most of the time, this pain will gradually decrease and go away up to the end of the first week.
The second week after the surgery
For a mini abdominoplasty, the second week is not a difficult one as the major pain will disappear during the first week after surgery.
For a full abdominoplasty, however, you may experience little to moderate discomfort and tenderness in your abdomen during the second week too.
Want a fast recovery? Follow your doctor’s orders.
WHERE SHOULD I EXPECT PAIN?
Many assume that it’s the incision which hurts the most. But, the truth is that you should expect pain in various parts depending on your surgery.
If your muscles are manipulated during the procedure, tightness would be serious and you will feel tenderness and discomfort inside your abdomen.
Depending on your incision’s site, you may feel soreness either below the belly button or along the pubic area or the so-called bikini line.
HOW CAN I MANAGE THE PAIN AFTER A TUMMY TUCK?
Depending on the type of your surgery, you may feel mild, moderate or severe pain. In either case, you need to follow the below instructions to manage the pain.
- First of all, follow what your doctor has ordered. Your doctor can tailor the best course of recovery for you.
- Take pain medications whenever the pain is severe and albeit upon your doctor’s prescription.
- Wear your compression garment if your doctor has instructed you to do so.
- Ask someone to be around or stay in touch, especially during the first week, to help you with your routine activities.
- Avoid strenuous activities and lifting objects as this may cause more pain.
- Rest for one or two weeks and enjoy doing some relaxing activities like watching your favorite movies or reading your treasured books.
- While it is important to rest enough, you need to maintain a low level of activity during recovery. Do some calf and thigh exercises in the bed to avoid blood clots. But, do not perform any abdominal exercises at this time.
- Have a healthy diet and consume less salt.
- Get more vitamins (e.g. vitamins C and D) and nutritional foods to have better and quicker healing.
- Avoid having sex during the recovery period. It may bring you more discomfort and tightness in the abdominal area. Also, do it gently for a few weeks after the recovery.
- Do not smoke one month before and after the surgery as it slows down the recovery and may result in poor wound healing.
- Return to work in the second week but stick to the aforementioned post-op tips until you are fully recovered.
ARE THE RESULTS WORTH THE PAIN?
When you’re weighing your decision to see whether it is really worth it, the questions about “what you will gain” and “what you will lose” come in. You need to know the actual results of your surgery to have realistic expectations and choose what is right for you.
How Big Is The Scar From A Tummy Tuck
Individuals who struggle with loose or sagging excess skin on the midsection may be candidates for abdominoplasty surgery, commonly referred to as a tummy tuck. This cosmetic procedure removes excess fat, skin and tightens muscles in order to create a visibly smoother, flatter stomach and an overall improved silhouette. Depending on the patient’s individual needs, there are two main types of abdominoplasty procedures: a mini tummy tuck and a full tummy tuck. While both procedures have similar goals, the primary appeal of a mini tummy tuck is its ability to tighten the skin and lower abdomen without creating a lengthy abdominal scar.
Mini Tummy Tuck Scar
During a mini tummy tuck, a slightly smaller incision is made low on the belly. In most cases, this incision is approximately 4-8 inches long, which is similar to the size of a C-section scar. Unlike a full tummy tuck, this incision can be hidden close to the pubic region, so it will be easily concealed beneath swimsuit bottoms and underwear. As a result, the scar is often undetectable. In addition, since a mini tummy tuck targets the lower abdomen, it does not require the revision of the belly button, so patients will not be left with any scars surrounding the belly button.
While the reduced scarring concern is certainly an advantage of the mini tummy tuck, it is important to be aware that a partial abdominoplasty only addresses the area below the navel, so any excess skin or protrusion above the belly button will remain following the procedure. This is why it is less common for a person to be well suited for a mini rather than full tummy tuck.
Full Tummy Tuck Scar
Because a full tummy tuck addresses excess fat above and below the navel, while removing a significant, “apron” of skin, a larger incision from hip to hip is typically required. Although the resulting scar will be longer, a skilled surgeon will ensure that its strategic location helps to reduce its visibility. The advantage of this procedure is that the surgeon will have greater access throughout the surgery, which enables the correction of both the upper and lower abdomen.
Love handles and major sagging which can occur after weight loss or pregnancies require a wide incision for complete removal and smooth contours. During surgery, the overlying skin will be separated from the umbilicus and moved downward before a new belly button is created. Patients who undergo a full tummy tuck do have a small scar hidden within the new belly button.
While the size and placement of scars following the procedure should certainly be taken into consideration when determining which type of tummy tuck is best for you, this should not be the determining factor. The ultimate goal of both a full or mini tummy tuck is restoring your abdomen in order to achieve your desired silhouette. A qualified and experienced board-certified surgeon’s skill and expertise will help reduce the risk of scarring, while ensuring that you will be very pleased with your result.
Are Tummy Tuck Scars Permanent
It takes time to feel back to normal after tummy tuck surgery. Your stomach won’t be completely flat afterward due to post-operative swelling, and scarring is an inevitable part of the process. It is important to remember that tummy tuck surgery will leave a scar, but the intended results generally outweigh the disadvantage of this factor. Scars after a tummy tuck procedure will lessen in appearance during the recovery period, and begin to fade, so be patient.
If you are feeling anxious about your tummy tuck recovery and are concerned about scarring, read on to learn more from dual board-certified aesthetic and plastic surgeon Dr. Nana Mizuguchi at Mizuguchi Plastic Surgery in Louisville, KY.
How can a tummy tuck help you?
The primary goal of tummy tuck surgery is to achieve a flatter, smoother, and more attractive-looking stomach area. Almost everyone has something about their body they don’t like. Men and women in the Louisville, KY area struggle with their midsection and turn to body contouring procedures, like a tummy tuck, for help. A tummy tuck, also known as abdominoplasty, is one of the top five cosmetic procedures performed every year throughout this country. The right candidates who have concerns about sagging skin or unwanted fat in their stomach area can look to a full, mini, or extended tummy tuck procedure to reduce or eliminate these pesky issues.
What scars after tummy tuck surgery can you expect?
Scarring is the body’s natural way to heal from a wound or incision by forming new collagen fibers to mend the area. When compared to surrounding tissue, the new scar tissue is visibly apparent due to its unique color and texture. However, scars from tummy tuck surgery will fade in color and be more flesh-tone in appearance after a few months. There are also different abdominoplasty techniques that patients can consider. A mini tummy tuck is less invasive and requires a shorter incision below the belly button. The recovery and incision for a mini tummy tuck procedure are less than that of a more traditional abdominoplasty. A full tummy tuck incision extends from hip bone to hip bone, along with an additional small incision around or in the belly button. If liposuction is necessary, other smaller incisions are made in the target area to eliminate any excess fat.