Posted on April 14, 2021
I have written blogs before about tummy tuck timing. (Be out a couple months at least since your last baby, be done with breast feeding, work out and see where you can get your body back to, be at an ideal weight.) You need to plan for a time when you can devote time to yourself. That means no doing things for your family, no working, no exercise. Plan for a solid two weeks.
A tummy tuck is a big operation, but so worth it if you are a good candidate.
Basic things to know:
- The first week you are out. You do NOTHING. You drink and eat, watch bad tv, sleep. You need to get out of bed and walk around the house multiple times a day to avoid a blood clot, but that is it. No doing laundry, making dinners, driving, taking care of the kids/etc. You need to give your body time to heal. If you are active you may increase your risk of complications or delay your healing. Nutrition is paramount. Keeping the area clean is important.
- The second week varies. Usually you can work from home. You may be on pain meds still, you may just be on medication at night to help you sleep, you may be completely off medication. The drain usually comes out this week.
- You won’t feel normal for weeks. That is normal. Your body is diverting all of its energy to heal. Its like your body ran a marathon. So even though you are lying in bed and watching TV and feeling guilty for all the things you *should* be doing, the best thing you can do is rest. The sooner you heal and the swelling and bruising go away, the sooner you will be back to full force.
- Exercise is usually around a month out for my patients, except for NO CORE. (NO sit ups, pilates, the plank, etc). As for the exact time you can start to be active again, know every person is different. You need to listen to your body. If something hurts or feels sore, listen to your body and don’t do it. Studies show that wound strength is almost normal at 6 weeks, though it continues to improve.
- Sex is exercise. I have a few patients who pulled deep sutures having sex, which is hard to do, but can happen.
- The weakest point of your muscle and skin repair is at THREE WEEKS OUT. There are many studies looking at how wounds heal and the strength of the scar. (The first stage is inflammation, then proliferation, and then remodeling. The remodeling of the scar is what helps it align and become stronger.) So I don’t want you to do core til 3 months out because your internal muscle repair needs to fully remodel and have its full strength before you stress it.
- At 3 months, anything goes.