What should I expect during my tummy tuck recovery?

Your doctor will discuss how long it will be before you can return to your normal level of activity and work following liposuction. After surgery, you and your caregiver will receive detailed instructions about your post-surgical care, including information about:

• Drains, if they have been placed

• Normal symptoms you will experience

• Any potential signs of complications

Immediately after your tummy tuck

You may expect the following immediately after the procedure:

• As the anesthesia wears off, you may feel dizzy, disoriented, and nauseated. These sensations should pass within a few hours, although some types of oral pain medications may cause these symptoms to recur.

• If you return home the same day, you will need someone to drive you. Depending on the extent of the procedure, you may be required to spend a night or two in the hospital recovering from surgery.

• Immediately following an abdominoplasty, expect your abdomen to feel very sore or tender. Any pain you feel can be controlled with pain medications.

• Most tummy tuck patients require several days of bed rest, even if they return home the same day as their surgery.

• Your incision site will be covered with a dressing to keep the area clean and protected. You will also be wearing a wide elastic compression garment to reduce swelling and provide support to the skin as it tightens. You will wear this garment for several weeks.

• Depending on the extent of your abdominoplasty, you may have tubes in your incision to drain away fluid. You will be asked to empty the drains a few times a day and keep track of how much fluid comes out. Drains are usually removed from three to fourteen days after your surgery, depending on how much fluid is coming out.

• If you have traditional sutures, these will typically be removed within the first week or two (absorbable sutures will not have to be removed).

• Your surgeon should provide you with detailed instructions for managing your drains, changing your bandages, and showering during recovery. You will also be told whether you can put any ointment on your incisions to reduce discomfort.

• Common side effects experienced by abdominoplasty patients include redness, bruising, and swelling. These effects usually subside in one to three weeks as your body adjusts to the new contours and the incisions heal.

Recovery time frame after a tummy tuck
Recovery from a tummy tuck procedure occurs over a period of six months or more. In the first couple of days, managing pain and avoiding complications is your top priority. The first week will be the worst, and you will still feel like you are recovering for about two to three weeks. After a few weeks, regaining mobility and fitness becomes important. After several months, you can start evaluating the aesthetic outcome of your surgery. It is important to remember that the time it takes to recover varies greatly among individuals.

• The first few days after surgery, you should rest quietly. Remember, you must not take aspirin or certain anti-inflammatory medications. To prevent coughing and bleeding, do not smoke after your procedure. Do not drink alcohol for five days after surgery or while you are taking pain medication.

• Arrange for someone to help you get around the house and help with your medication for at least the first two days after surgery.

• Make sure you continue to have lots of help at home—this cannot be stressed enough. You'll be tempted to try to help around the house, but you won't feel like yourself for at least seven to ten days and you still shouldn't do any heavy lifting (such as picking up your children or baskets of laundry) for four to six weeks. If you have small children, you must put someone else totally in charge of their care for at least two weeks.

• Follow your surgeon’s instructions carefully. The first two days are the most uncomfortable, so if you are instructed to take medications at certain times, stay on the schedule. Discomfort typically drops down to a "nagging" level by five to seven days.

• You will likely go back for follow-up with your surgeon within five days. During this visit, your doctor can remove the drains. Swelling should subside within five weeks.

• Call your surgeon immediately if you notice an increase in swelling, pain, redness, drainage, or bleeding in the surgical area, or if you develop fever, dizziness, nausea, or vomiting. Other red flags include shortness of breath, chest pains, and an unusual heartbeat.

• You should be up and walking the day after surgery, although slowly. It is important to walk to discourage swelling and to prevent blood clots in the legs. However, avoid strenuous exercise for four to six weeks, because it can trigger unnecessary fluid retention in the treated areas.

• Plan to take about two weeks off from work, depending on the physical demands of your job.

• Make an effort to ease back into your normal routine gradually rather than all at once.

• The recovery period is typically longest for patients undergoing a traditional abdominoplasty, rather than a mini-tummy tuck, and for those who are combining a tummy tuck with other surgical procedures.

• Wearing your compression garment as directed reduces the likelihood of loose or sagging skin after an abdominoplasty. The compression garment also helps to control swelling, resulting in a shorter recovery period.