Tummy Tuck Recovery - Getting Back To Your Routine

The tummy tuck is considered by plastic surgeons (and lots of happy women) as a modern miracle. It gets you the slim and trim waist that no amount of exercise and diet can achieve. It's a relatively small procedure and recovering from it is easy. Some folks are wary of going under the knife for fear that they'll be out of commission for a long time. Here is an idea of what you can expect after you get your tummy tucked with surgery.

Take Care Of Your Incisions

The key to recovering the right way is taking care of your incisions. In order to perform a tummy tuck, your doctor will make some small incisions and then readjust the tissue underneath. There is no way to do the operation without making these cuts and leaving small scars, but there are some things you can do to make sure they heal right. Getting them to heal right will make them less visible and cut down on any risks or complications.

Be Easy On Them

You should take it easy on your incisions until they're fully healed, which can take up to three months but can be faster. Don't lay directly on them or put pressure on them. Try to sleep on your back or side, and avoid anything that causes stress to that area of your body.

How much exercise is okay? This is a really important question and there is no perfect answer for everyone. For the first few days, you should stay pretty inactive. After that, you can get back to your routine a little bit, but avoid any serious exercise until your doctor says you can do it. The risk is that you might tear open the incisions and then you'll have to go and have them sewn up again.

Keep Them Moist

It's important not to let them dry out too much, especially at first. Your doctor may prescribe some topical cream that you can put onto them. Make sure you drink plenty of water and don't smoke. Smoking makes healing a lot slower partly because it dries out your body. If you're a smoker, try to at least cut down while you're healing from a tummy tuck or any type of surgery.

The Big Question - Does It Hurt?

You may experience some pain from your tummy tuck around the incisions but it shouldn't be too much. It's more likely that you'll have some discomfort and tingling rather than sharp pain. Most patients say the pain isn't bad, but the tingling is weird. This tingling is perfectly natural. However, if you do experience serious pain, and if it worsens over time instead of getting better, you should call your doctor.

Get Help When You Need It

In order to prevent any problems or complications, call your doctor if anything seems funny. You can prevent problems before they start. Follow their instructions carefully on how to take care of your incisions and remember that you're not out of it yet. Keep up your routine of cleaning and watching them, and you shouldn't have any problems. Very few people experience any severe complications after their tummy tuck.