Tummy tuck surgery can help you look and feel better about your stomach through a combination of aesthetic and reconstructive techniques. It can be used to eliminate stubborn fat and tighten skin on the belly, restoring a more youthful appearance. Women who have already given birth are common candidates for a tummy tuck.
Swelling 2 weeks after a stomach tuck
Have you had a stomach tuck and are now 2 weeks post-op? If that’s the case, continuing to have some abdominal swelling is normal. However, it is crucial that you keep track of how you feel after surgery so that you know if anything is out of the ordinary. What follows is important information for the first two weeks after surgery.
One of the most common reactions to cosmetic procedures is swelling. Swelling is to be expected for a total of two weeks. There may be mild swelling in the first two days following surgery, moderate swelling in the third and fourth days, and substantial swelling on days seven through ten. You should expect the swelling around your belly button and hips to last well past day 10. Read on to learn more on stages of swelling after tummy tuck and how to reduce pubic swelling after tummy tuck.
2 Weeks Post Tummy Tuck Swelling
Swelling is temporary and will go away with time. Adhering to Dr. Small’s aftercare instructions following your tummy tuck in Long Island will help swelling go down. Infection or other complications can cause swelling to persist and prolong the recovery period. Controlling swelling will promote healing and help you see results faster.
What is normal? It is normal for the area below your belly button to be swollen 2 weeks after having a tummy tuck. This can make it hard for you to stand up straight and may cause you to walk with an arched back due to the excess weight in your midsection.
You may also experience numbness in different spots around the incision site, which is also normal. You should not experience any pain while sitting or standing up straight if your muscles were tightened correctly during surgery
Once surgery is complete, your body sends white blood cells and other healing compounds to the surgery site to jumpstart the recovery process. Increased fluids will cause the area to grow larger during the initial stages of healing. Swelling is a completely normal response to an injury, which is why most swelling will be located near the incision site. A compression garment will be provided, which reduces swelling and yields better results.
Things To Avoid After Your Long Island Tummy Tuck
Being patient and letting your body heal will be the key to resolving swelling. Rushing your healing process or overexerting yourself can cause swelling to persist. Do not touch your stitches or the incision because your hands can introduce bacteria to the area and cause an infection.
Avoid activities that utilize your abdominal muscles in particular. Especially when your muscles are pulled tight during the procedure, the muscles need time to heal before being engaged.
Most importantly, listen carefully to all aftercare instructions. Dr. Small provides individualized instructions based on your medical history, current stage of healing, and other factors.
Ways To Decrease Swelling
Strenuous exercise and excessive movement will negatively impact your recovery. It is a good idea to go shopping before your surgery to ensure that you have everything you need during the initial stages of healing while your movement is limited. Buy food, water, and anything else you might want while you relax and heal at home.
Some tips for minimizing swelling include:
- Stay hydrated
- Maintain a healthy diet
- Refrain from smoking
- Avoid foods with a lot of sodium
- Keep the area clean
If you try reintroducing an activity and you experience pain or discomfort, stop and try again at another time. Listen to your body and don’t rush your recovery.
How Long Will I Need Compression Garments?
Patients typically wear a compression garment for about five to six weeks after their procedure. At first, the garment should be worn at all times, and Dr. Small will let you know when you can start taking it off or only wearing it for part of the day, and when you can stop wearing it altogether.
When Will My Swelling Go Down?
The majority of swelling resolves after approximately two months. About 80% of the swelling should subside, but many patients have minor swelling that can persist up to one year after surgery. At the two-month mark you will have a good idea of what your final results will look like and you will be able to resume most activities. Your follow-up visits will become less frequent, although Dr. Small is always willing to answer questions in between office visits.
How To Reduce Pubic Swelling After Tummy Tuck
sometimes the pubic area is liposuctioned or treated during the tummy tuck, which will make it even more swollen. The best ways to treat this is by wearing a compression garment for at least one month after surgery, massaging the area, and limiting your activity while you’re healing.
Pubic swelling after tummy tuck is a common condition that occurs after any type of surgery. The swelling occurs more often in case of patients who have undergone liposuction or body contouring surgery.
The swelling usually subsides from 1-3 days post surgery, but it can last up to 6 weeks. This is because the body takes time to heal and adjust to the new position of tissues and organs.
In this article, we will discuss ways that can help you reduce pubic swelling after tummy tuck:
Ice Packs: Ice packs are one of the most common methods used to reduce swelling after any kind of surgery. It helps by reducing inflammation and pain by constricting blood vessels and reducing bleeding inside tissues.
Compression Garments: Compression garments are also known as compression stockings or compression shorts. They work by constricting veins and arteries which reduces blood flow back into lymph nodes and other tissues around the surgical area which further helps reduce swelling after tummy tuck.
Exercise: Exercises help maintain good circulation in the body which helps reduce swelling caused due to surgery. You can start doing simple exercises like walking, jogging etc., immediately after your procedure but if your surgeon suggests
After your tummy tuck, you’ll likely have some swelling in the pubic area. This is normal and will go away in a few weeks. Swelling can be caused by fluid accumulation in the tissue or fluid leaking from the surgical site.
When you first get up after surgery, you’ll want to walk around as much as possible to reduce swelling and prevent blood clots from forming in your legs.
Your surgeon may place drains in your incisions, which will help remove excess fluid and blood from the wound area. He or she will also apply dressings over each drain to keep it clean and dry while it’s draining. These dressings need to be changed daily until all drainage stops.
Here are some tips for reducing pubic swelling after your surgery:
Wear loose clothing that allows air circulation around your incisions and drains — and don’t wear tight jeans or any type of constricting undergarments (such as Spanx).
Take an over-the-counter antihistamine medication if there’s any itching or irritation caused by the dressing over your drain; this could help reduce swelling, too.
Apply cold packs to your incisions 3 times a day for 10 minutes each time, but don’t put them directly on.
It’s not uncommon to experience swelling in the abdomen after a tummy tuck. It could be fat, it could be fluid from the surgery site. It could also be scar tissue. Anyways, I would recommend you see your plastic surgeon and have him or her examine your incision for any signs of infection or anything out of place. If everything looks good then please let me know what they say about this and I can help guide you through recovery as well!
Hi – I am 4 months post op tummy tuck and lipo.
- What procedure did you have? Tummy tuck, lipo and muscle repair
- How long has it been since your surgery? 4 months
- How long did it take for swelling to subside? about 6 weeks I was very swollen.
- How long does the swelling last? It really depends on how much surgery you had but mine lasted about 5 months and then some.
I am 3 months post op tummy tuck with lipo and muscle repair..what should I expect in regards to recovery time as well as when i can get back in the gym or work out without too much discomfort??? Thanks!
Hi – I am 4 months post op tummy tuck and lipo…The swelling was not too bad at all however my lower abs are still swollen. Should this continue or will they go down eventually?? Thanks so much!!
I’ve been having pain in my upper abdomen which has been diagnosed as having a hernia.
Pain in the upper abdomen is a sign of an inguinal hernia, which can occur after a tummy tuck. Hernias are common after surgery and are usually found within days of its completion. If you have had a hernia repair (herniorrhaphy), you will likely experience some pain during recovery while your body heals.
If you haven’t had any abdominal surgery, but still have pain in your lower abdomen after a tummy tuck, it could be that you have simply stretched out some of your abdominal muscles or ligaments during recovery. This type of stretching is normal and should subside over time without treatment or intervention on your part.
My doctor says this often occurs after abdominoplasties.
This swelling, called seroma, typically occurs within the first week after surgery. It’s common and usually goes away on its own. Your doctor may drain your lower abdomen manually or with a syringe if the swelling persists. If there is an underlying hernia, it may need to be repaired at that time.
If you have a tummy tuck with liposuction of the flanks (love handles) or back fat, this area can become swollen as well (called a pseudocyst). This may also be drained manually by your plastic surgeon if it persists after days of healing or spontaneously resolves over weeks to months.
Lower abdominal swelling can also occur due to scar tissue formation during healing—sometimes even years after surgery—and this can result in some scarring of your muscles underneath those scars as well. This kind of scarring tends to resolve over time and doesn’t require any treatment unless it becomes painful for you or interferes with normal activities like walking up stairs or lifting heavy objects off the floor; in such cases, it could be treated by removing excess scar tissue through small incisions made above each side where these lumps occur and then closing them back up afterward.”
It’s not uncommon to have swelling after surgery, especially if you have a hernia or other complications in your abdominal area. The swelling will go away with time. If the swelling does not go away after several months, it could be due to other causes.
If you are concerned about your bulge, especially if it’s painful or you experience any difficulty breathing or swallowing, please contact your surgeon right away so they can determine whether there is a problem and what steps need to be taken next.
The swelling feels like water retention, but it’s also firm like a hard ball almost.
Swelling is a normal part of the healing process after a tummy tuck. It can take weeks or even months for swelling to completely subside, but it will. If your lower abdomen still feels swollen after that time, you may want to seek additional medical attention.
You may also have noticed that your lower abdominal area feels hard and firm like water retention, even though there is no swelling present. This can be another sign that something else is going on with your body and should be investigated by a doctor immediately before it becomes worse or life-threatening (if it has not already).
My TT is healed ok except for a slight protrusion on one side due to thin skin and perhaps a little muscle tightening.
I have no idea what is causing your swelling. It could be fat, scar tissue (keloid), fluid retention or a combination of all three.
The most important thing to do right now is to see your plastic surgeon as soon as possible and get his opinion on what’s going on and what treatment options he recommends.
I’ve been trying to find out if it could be fat that got shifted around with my lipo, seems very unlikely because if anything the lipo removed capacity for storing excess fat at least in that area (upper abs).
The fat around your belly button is not solid. It’s stored in cells, and if you take out fat from an area, the space that was occupied by that tissue will remain as a pocket. If any part of your body has excess skin remaining after weight loss, it may be from having had extra skin before.
Also keep in mind that fat is not a solid block of tissue; rather it’s more like a liquid that can be released under the skin where it becomes visible (liposuction). So if you notice swelling after tummy tuck surgery this could be due to edema (fluid build up) or simply because there was no longer enough room for all of your “liquid” fat.
Stages Of Swelling After Tummy Tuck
You can expect swelling after tummy tuck surgery to occur over the first few days with a peak at days 3-5. A significant amount of your swelling and/or bruising will come down by three weeks post op.
When a horizontal incision is made across the lower abdomen, the skin just above the incision now has an altered blood supply. Blood can get in, but it has a harder time getting out because the veins run north to the chest and gravity works against them. Patients that have had flank liposuction at the same time as an abdominoplasty seem to have more swelling. I do this frequently to contour the waist. A basic principal is the fatter or thicker your tummy skin prior to the surgery, the higher the likelihood you will have prolonged abdominal swelling.
Avoiding Swelling After Tummy Tuck Surgery
The good news is that there are some fairly simple steps you can take to reduce the swelling after tummy tuck surgery and speed your post-tummy tuck recovery.
Banish the Bulge: Lay Flat
To avoid swelling after their tummy tuck/abdominoplasty surgery, I always tell my patients to spend the first 4 days after surgery lying with their chest fairly flat, legs elevated, to aid in venous return from the skin flap and from their legs, thereby reducing the incidence of deep venous thrombosis. EVERY OTHER HOUR – get up, walk around, eat quickly, then down horizontal again. SITTING IS THE KISS OF DEATH and will lead to more tummy swelling and cause all your blood and swelling fluid to pool in your pelvis. The “V” lying position is almost as bad. Recliner chairs that raise the chest and not the legs are bad.
Post Tummy Tuck Compression Garments
A good, NOT TOO TIGHT OR TOO LOOSE compression garment – whether it is a lipo garment, girdle, or Spanx – will also put gentle compression on the tissues and reduce swelling. Drains, usually a necessity after tummy tuck surgery, syphon off the fluid that would accumulate under the skin. Make sure they are working properly. Strip them every hour, empty every 8 hours and record the drainage in cc’s. Clean off around the drain entrance sites on your skin with alcohol at least twice a day.
Drains are a mixed blessing. They help create the seal between the fat on the skin and the abdominal wall, healing the large inside wound, but they are also a source of bacteria entering into the wound and can cause infection. The longer the drains are in, the higher the chance of infection. Being on antibiotics while the drains are in DOES NOT prevent infection, but it WILL ensure that the infection might be more difficult to treat with unusual bacteria and higher resistances to normal antibiotics.
Drains are there to reduce swelling after tummy tuck.
Recently, a new technique by a father and son plastic surgery team has been developed that accelerates the healing of the skin flap, and reduces the swelling. I use plication sutures between the deep fat and the muscles to close the space that accumulates fluid. My drainage amounts have reduced by 60%. I have been using this technique for the past 18 months.
Watch Your Diet
Making sure you are eating a healthy, low sodium diet is another great way to ensure you are reducing your post-op swelling as much as you can. Your body needs proper nutrition and hydration in order to heal, so give it what it needs!
Retained Seroma: What To Do
If at 2 weeks post-op, your lower abdomen feels thick and woody, your surgeon should make sure you don’t have a retained seroma, or chronic fluid collection. This can be aspirated off with an 18 gauge long needle and 30 cc syringe. Keep wearing your compression garment and try not to sit much. Sometimes lying with a heavy, flat book on your belly helps create the seal.
Every 20 patients or so I have to put another drain back in after I have removed them. Sometimes I take this opportunity to re-excise part of the center incision, de-fat the edges a bit, and create a tighter closure. This extra surgery helps get a better result and resolves the seroma and tummy swelling.
In the end, the seroma will be gone, you will be healed, and your abdomen will look smooth and flat- the reason why you had the surgery in the first place. I often ask patients – please lose 15 pounds before the surgery, burn off some of that fat inside your abdomen around the intestines and some of the fat right under the skin!! We will have a better final result, and the patient and the surgeon will both be happier because the patient just looks THAT much better.
It’s a possibility, but you can treat it.
Scar tissue is the result of your body healing from surgery, so it will be there whether or not you have a tummy tuck.
There are several ways to treat it: surgery (to remove the scar tissue), medication, injections.
Lower abdominal swelling after tummy tuck is common and will subside but it may take some time or you may need to seek additional medical attention.
If you have any concerns about your lower abdomen, please contact your surgeon and/or see your physician right away.
I hope this helps you. It’s not uncommon for people to develop hernias after surgery and it can be very painful. Your doctor is right that most of these will heal on their own with time, but there are other treatment options available as well. I would recommend you discuss with the doctor treating the issue so they can determine the best option moving forward based on your situation
is it normal to have a bulge after tummy tuck
If you’ve had a tummy tuck, it’s normal to have swelling and bruising after surgery. This is part of the healing process and is expected. However, if your bruising or swelling doesn’t go away after three weeks or so, be sure to call your surgeon as soon as possible. In some cases, persistent swelling can cause a skin flap to develop over your belly button—this is called “a circumferential scar” and isn’t typically something that’s dangerous (unless it becomes infected). However, it’s also not something that should happen when you’re trying to look great!
Tummy tuck recovery is typically a long process.
Tummy tuck recovery is typically a long process. The recovery time depends on the patient, the procedure, your surgeon and the type of anesthesia used.
Ultimately, it’s difficult to predict how long it will take to recover from a tummy tuck because everyone recovers at different rates.
However, there are some things you can do to speed up your recovery and get back into shape faster!
Swelling and bruising are normal in the early stages after surgery, but if swelling and bruising persist, it may be a sign of a problem. Signs of a problem include fever, redness or swelling around the incision site and pain that is getting worse. If you have symptoms like these, see your surgeon immediately.
Your body will continue to evolve for six months after your procedure.
After your tummy tuck surgery, you’ll notice that your body continues to evolve for up to six months after your procedure. Your sutures and incisions need time to heal and shrink as they do so. This process can take several weeks or months, but gradually the swelling will subside and the tissue will begin to look more natural.
You can help with this healing process by:
- Not dressing in tight-fitting clothes or garments that rub against the incision area (especially when you are showering).
- Not smoking because it increases blood flow to areas of injury in the body which may delay healing; smoking also irritates tissue around an incision line causing it to become more tender than usual during recovery period following surgery so it’s best not smoke while recovering from cosmetic procedures such as Tummy Tuck Surgery where there is swelling around the skin surface due post-operative swelling after tummy tuck surgery occurs because there is excess fluid inside body tissues which causes puffiness along with fullness on either side of surgical scar (linea alba) – this happens when fluid builds up between skin layers closest together under belly button area near belly button hole which eventually drains away over time leaving no evidence after 6 months has passed since last operation date; however some people still have residual scarring even though most scars fade out quickly within 2 years…
The swelling will resolve on its own as all the blood and fluid drains out and the tissue heals, but you can help with this healing process.
- Stay hydrated: Drink lots of water to keep your tissues from getting dry and tight.
- Eat high-fiber foods: They will help you get the nutrients you need to heal and feel better faster.
- Manage stress: Stress can make it harder for your body to heal after surgery, so try not to worry too much about what other people think of you right now. Remember that this is a temporary issue and things will look much better when the swelling subsides! For tips on managing stress, check out [this article](https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/stress-management).
- Don’t lay flat on your back: This will help prevent swelling from getting worse by taking pressure off the area where all that extra fluid collects in the belly button area during recovery time (the umbilicus). If possible, try setting up some pillows around yourself when watching TV or reading in bed at night so that gravity doesn’t pull all those fluids down toward one spot where they can cause additional pain later on down this road.”
Other tips to help your post-TT bulge go away include staying hydrated (with water), managing stress, and eating high-fiber foods.
- Drink lots of water: Staying well-hydrated is crucial for keeping your body healthy and active. If you’re not drinking enough water, it can lead to fatigue and dizziness—which is no bueno when you’re trying to heal.
- Eat high-fiber foods: During the initial recovery period after surgery, it’s important to eat soluble fiber so that food passes through the digestive tract without difficulty or discomfort. Soluble fiber is found in fruits like apples or berries; vegetables like peas, beans or carrots; certain grains such as oats; psyllium husk powder (Metamucil); brown rice syrup
Healing takes time, but there are things you can do to help.
The first thing to understand is that healing takes time. It can be frustrating to feel like you’re not seeing results, but the fact is that it could take months before you look and feel like your old self.
There are things that can help speed up the process, though:
- Drink lots of water. Your body needs water to heal, so make sure you’re drinking enough each day (about 8 cups).
- Eat high fiber foods. High fiber foods will help with digestion and prevent constipation, which can slow down your recovery process as well as cause more swelling around your tummy area. Try eating plenty of fruits and vegetables in addition to whole grains like brown rice or quinoa during this time period since they’re both rich in dietary fiber!
In short, it’s normal to have swelling and bruising after a tummy tuck. However, if the swelling persists and becomes painful or discolored, it might be a sign of an infection that requires medical attention. The best way to prevent this? Don’t rush the recovery process! Let your body do its job, stay hydrated (with water), manage stress levels by exercising regularly, eat high-fiber foods (and avoid alcohol), etc. And remember: Healing takes time—but there are things we can do to help our bodies recover faster from surgery.