The recovery period for a tummy tuck can be divided into two phases: the early phase (first two weeks) and late phase (second two weeks). During this time frame, you should expect significant pain from your surgical incisions and swelling. You will also experience some numbness in your lower extremities as well as swelling in these areas as well. Additionally, it is common for patients who undergo tummy tuck procedures to experience constipation during their recovery period because of the fact that they are unable to move around too much due to their bandages being wrapped tightly around their lower body area. During this time frame, you should avoid any strenuous physical activity such as lifting heavy objects or running around too much because this could lead to additional injuries such as bleeding inside your body cavity which could result in an infection if not treated immediately.
The recovery period for a tummy tuck is typically between four and six weeks, but it depends on the type of surgery you have. In some cases, the patient may be able to stand straight within the first week, while in others it may take up to three months. The length of time that it takes for you to recover will depend on your age and overall health condition prior to surgery.
Read on to learn more about How Long Before I CanStand Straight After TummyTuck, How To Prevent BloodClots After Tummy Tuck Surgery
How Long Before I CanStand Straight After Tummy Tuck
A tummy tuck is surgery to remove fat and skin from your belly and to tighten the stomach muscles. It is also called an abdominoplasty. The surgery makes your belly look flatter.
Your belly will be sore and swollen for the first week after surgery. The skin on your stomach will be mostly numb for several weeks to months. Feeling will return slowly. But you may have a small area on your lower stomach that is always numb. Do not use a heating pad on your stomach while it is still numb, or you could have severe burns. It’s normal to feel tired while you are healing. It can take 5 to 6 weeks for your energy to return.
TummyTuck surgery is a major procedure and you will be sore for several days after the operation. Recovery time varies from patient to patient. You may need to wear a surgical bra for a few weeks after the procedure. The incision will take about 6 weeks to heal and the swelling may last much longer than that.
How long before I can stand straight after TummyTuck?
There is no set time period. It depends on the patient’s healing, activity level, and other factors.
It is important to understand that even after the surgery you will have a lot of swelling and bruising. Your tummy will not look like it has when you were active before surgery for at least 6 weeks.
You may be able to stand up straight sooner than 6 weeks if you are not doing much activity. In that case, your surgeon may ask that you not put pressure on your stomach muscles (like doing sit ups) until they are healed enough to support your body weight without pain.
At 6 weeks, most patients feel better about their appearance than before surgery because of swelling going down and excess skin being removed at the same time as their muscle repair.
You can stand straight as soon as you are comfortable and can tolerate it. Standing straight is important because it promotes proper healing, but it should not be forced before your body is ready.
The time frame for when you can go back to work depends on your job. If you have a desk job, then you can probably return in about 3 weeks. If you have a physical job, then it may take longer for your incisions to heal and for any swelling to go away.
You will also need time for swelling to go down before getting into exercise routines that put pressure on the abdomen such as sit-ups or crunches.
You should wait until your scars are healed before starting any exercise routine that puts stress on the abdominal area (i.e., sit-ups).
When you are recovering from a tummy tuck, you will experience pain and discomfort. The amount of time it takes for these symptoms to subside varies from person to person. It can take anywhere from three weeks to six months before you feel normal again.
The good news is that most people recover quickly and return to their normal activities within two weeks of surgery.
Pain after a tummy tuck is typically managed with over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Most patients will be able to stop taking these medications within a week or two after surgery, but some may require longer use depending on their individual needs. Our staff will discuss the best methods for managing your discomfort with you before and after surgery so that you can be prepared for what lies ahead during your recovery period.
The first thing to keep in mind is that your recovery is different from other tummy tuck patients. You had an umbilical hernia repair and this will have an impact on the time it takes for you to recover.
The second thing is that your surgery was done laparoscopically. This means there are more incisions than with open surgery and a longer healing period.
First, let me address your umbilical hernia repair. The good news is that these types of repairs heal very well with minimal scarring. It will take about 4 weeks before you can resume normal activities with no discomfort at all. If you were my patient, I would give you about 6 weeks off work just to be safe and then slowly return to your normal routine over the next few months.
Second, let me address your tummy tuck. Your body will need 8 weeks before it starts seeing results from the tightening of your muscles and skin under the belly button area where there was no muscle tissue left after removing the umbilical hernia repair mesh material. During this time frame, please avoid any lifting over 10 pounds and any strenuous exercise or activity until we evaluate your progress at 6 weeks post-op appointment and decide if additional surgery is needed to tighten
- You may not be able to stand up straight when you come home. You’ll need to get up and walk every day to regain your normal movement. Between walks, move your feet and legs often.
How to Help Prevent DVT Once You’re Home
Follow these tips after you leave the hospital and start recovering at home:
If your doctor gave you blood-thinning medication (anticoagulants), keep taking it exactly as prescribed. Ask the doctor or a pharmacist if you should avoid certain foods or drinks while you’re on the medicine. Also ask what to do if you accidentally skip a dose.
If your doctor wants you to use compression stockings, make sure they tell you often and how long to wear them. Check your legs and feet for redness or sores each time you take the stockings off. Call the doctor right away if you notice changes in your skin.
If the doctor wants you to use a compression device at home, follow their instructions on how to do so exactly. They’ll tell you how long and how often to use it. Remember to take the device’s sleeves off before you walk around.
Follow your doctor’s instructions on getting active again. Your doctor may keep certain activities off-limits at first. But in general, move as much as you can to keep your blood flowing.
If your care team had you doing gentle movement exercises in bed or in a chair at the hospital, keep doing these at home. You could also ask a loved one to help you move your arms and legs while you’re in bed or if you need to use a wheelchair.
How To Prevent BloodClots After Tummy Tuck Surgery
Tummy tucks and body lifts can be life-changing procedures. The removal of skin and fat excess along with tightening of the abdominal wall can reverse many of the problems that occur following childbirth and/or weight loss. But make no mistake: even though tummy tucks and body lifts are cosmetic surgeries, they are still surgery. And every surgery has risks.
The most serious risk of any excisional body contouring procedure is blood clots. Due to the immobility associated with any major surgery (especially one that temporarily makes it more difficult to walk), there is a risk of blood clots forming in leg veins (deep venous thrombosis). If a clot “breaks off” and travels through the bloodstream to the lungs, it can suddenly and seriously impair oxygen exchange. This life-threatening condition is called a pulmonary embolus. It requires immediate treatment with blood thinners (to dissolve the clot) and oxygen.
Every plastic surgeon and plastic surgery patient should take these risks very seriously. The question: what can we do to prevent blood clots following tummy tuck and circumferential body contouring (body lift)? We have a protocol:
- DO NOT smoke for at least one month before surgery and one month after surgery. Smoking causes constriction of blood vessels, impairing blood flow and oxygenation. Smoking greatly increases your risk of blood clots (even if you are not undergoing surgery).
- DO NOT use contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy for at least one week before surgery and one week after surgery. These substances can increase your risk of blood clots (even if you are not undergoing surgery).
- DO walk regularly after surgery. Every time you want to eat or use the restroom, you must have a family member or friend help you to the kitchen or the bathroom. Regular meals in bed are just a bad idea. Walking helps pump blood through your leg veins, preventing clots from forming.
- DO use SCDs. Sequential compression devices (SCDs) are mechanical pumps that intermittently compress the leg veins, promoting circulation by simulating walking. We place these on all patients undergoing surgery in our nationally-accredited surgical facility, the West Plano Plastic Surgery Center. We send abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) and body lifting patients home with an SCD machine for the first few days to further reduce the risk of blood clots. I do not know of any other surgeon or surgery center that does this routinely, and I sincerely believe that they should.
- DO consider anticoagulants. Anticoagulants (blood thinners) can significantly reduce the risk of blood clots. Unlike #s 1 to 4 above, they do increase the risk of postoperative bleeding, so they must be used with caution. For example, I will not use an anticoagulant in a patient who bleeds excessively during surgery. However, in most patients undergoing excisional body contouring, I begin low dose Lovenox (low molecular weight heparin) in the first 24 hours after surgery and continue its use daily for a week.
With this protocol in place over the past five years, we have not experienced a single clotting-or bleeding-episode in a tummy tuck or body lift patient.
We want you to look great after surgery. But first and foremost, we want you to be safe!