When you have plastic surgery and we sew your tissue together it isn’t strong. The only thing holding it together immediately after surgery are the sutures and some initial inflammatory factors your body releases.
The reason we want you to take it easy is to give your tissue that time to heal.
FIRST WEEK:
For the first four days after surgery, your tissue is just held together by sutures (which I put a ton of in, in multiple layers) and a hemostatic plug.
SECOND WEEK:
Your body starts to make different types of collagen. It is still mostly type III collagen, which is weak. Your scar only has 10% of its final strength. THIS IS THE MOST COMMON TIME FOR YOUR WOUND TO SPLIT OPEN.
THIRD WEEK:
The collagen now starts to cross link, so this is when the strength of the wound really starts.
SIXTH WEEK:
The collagen is now more aligned. Your scar is 80% of the strength of intact skin. Wound disruption is unlikely at this point.
THREE MONTHS:
Your wound keeps strengthening up til 3 months out.
So when we tell you not to exercise and take it easy, it is to allow your natural healing to take place. These processes with collagen and scar formation just take time. No matter what an overachiever you are, how healthy you are, if you eat kale, your body just. needs. time.