Recovering from your tummy tuck
Once you have undergone a tummy tuck procedure, you have to be careful with your recovery. Since it is a major surgery, you must know that a number of patients get depressed during their initial recovery period. It takes about 8 weeks to fully recover from your tummy tuck so that you can regain your normal energy and stamina. Depression is a common reaction to major surgical procedures and you will begin to feel good again as you progress in your recovery.
What should you do after the surgery
You must be prepared for some discomfort after your abdominoplasty surgery. You must stay in a sitting position for 2 to 4 days immediately after your surgery. In case you do lie down or stand up, you must be careful to keep your knees bent. If you stand up straight, you may end up ripping your stitches. For the first few weeks of your procedure, you will be prescribed pain medication to deal with the pain; this could be for a longer duration for some patients.
Since your skin is pulled down tightly before being repositioned during a tummy tuck, you are unable to stand straight for about 2 weeks post your surgery. Trying to stand up too early will lead to discomfort. Staying bent for this long period will also lead to lower back pains among other problems but these clear as soon as you are allowed to stand straight.
How will the incision scars be?
Another common problem faced by tummy tuck patients is sloughing at the site of incision. This condition also clears up on its own as the area calms down with continuous healing. This may happen by the fourth week post your procedure. You must understand that sloughing may occur at any surgical incision line whether the skin was pulled or not.
The abdominal scar may look thick or puffy at the start. This scar flattens on its own within 6 months to a year. Some tummy tuck patients opt for liposuction in order to reduce the fullness of a healed incision scar. If the scar remains in your case, there is also the option of scar revision later in time. This is not a complicated surgery and an experienced surgeon will give you drastic improvement in the appearance of the scar.