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Tummy Tuck Recovery



A Quick Guideline For Tummy Tuck Recovery

Before undergoing abdominoplasty surgery, many people want to know just how long with tummy tuck recovery take. The purpose of this surgery is to repair the disfigurement of the lower stomach; therefore it is necessary to cut the stomach muscles as part of the operation procedure. Recover from this type of surgery can be very painful.

Despite of the fact that a tummy tuck can be painful, a lot of people still opt for this surgery. A woman may choose to have abdominoplasty surgery after giving birth so that she can regain her youthful figure, or for men the purpose of a tummy tuck may be to reshape the stomach after having to undergo a gastric bypass surgery.

Like other types of surgery, tummy tuck recovery time will vary, and will probably depend on several factors. After having this surgery a patient will likely experience some pain and swelling in the area of the stomach that was operated on. The pain should last about two to three weeks and in most cases the discomfort can be treated with prescription medications that your doctor will write once you leave the hospital.

As with most types of surgeries there are steps you can take to help speed tummy tuck recovery. For most people the recovery time should be three weeks or less, but if you smoke or are overweight the recover time may be longer. If you would like to speed up tummy tuck recover you will have to ensure that you do not do any stretching or straining of the stomach muscles during the recovery time; this may lead to fluid accumulation, and not only will this extend tummy tuck recovery time, but it can be dangerous to your health.

There are basically three stages to recovering from a tummy tuck.

  1. The first stage will take place while you are still in the hospital; this is the post operation stage. This stage of tummy tuck recovery will vary greatly, depending on how complex your surgery was, as well as how well you start off on your path to recovery. If you have undergone a simple operation and are in good shape, you may pass out of this stage within a few hours, but for a complex surgery or if you have health issues, recovery from this stage can take as long as three to five days.
  1. The second stage of tummy tuck recovery will take place at home. When you first get home from the hospital your doctor will advise that you get plenty of bed rest. Basically you will continue the same rest routine that you had in the hospital so that your body has a chance to heal. In any case, you will not likely feel like too much your first few days home from the hospital.
  1. The third stage of recovering from a tummy tuck will involve working your stomach muscles. After your body has healed enough to allow exercise, your doctor will give you a list of mild exercises that you will have to do to help tone your stomach muscles. Although the exercises are good for toning muscle, they are also necessary in order to reduce swell and help to avoid the development of blood clots, which can be very dangerous.

Part of tummy tuck recovery will be to watch for any problems after you leave the hospital. You will have to be vigilant so that if you develop infection around the incision site you can contact your doctor right away. Other symptoms where you will want to notify your doctor right away include breathing difficult or extreme pain in your stomach.

Naturally, the more physically fit you are before surgery, the better your tummy tuck recovery will be.