Department of Surgery
Strong Health's Specialists in Plastic Surgery
Cosmetic Surgery
Recovery After Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck)
Immediately Following Surgery
You may go home several hours after surgery or spend a day or two in the hospital, depending on the extent of your procedure and the plan developed with your doctor. In general, you should walk around as soon as possible after surgery to reduce abdominal swelling. You may feel some pain and notice the swelling for the first few days after surgery; the pain will be controlled by medicine.
After A Few Weeks
Normally, your stitches will be removed within a week after surgery, though deeper sutures aren’t removed until two or three weeks after. You may also wear a support garment for few weeks to reduce swelling. You should be able to go back to work between two and four weeks after surgery.
Healing is Slow - But Results Are Great
Healing from abdominal surgery is slow and gradual and complete healing may take several months. How fast you recover depends in part on how extensive a procedure you had and your general physical condition. It will take about nine months to a year for your scars to get smoother, lighter and less noticeable. For several months after surgery they may even seem to be getting worse. This is normal.
It’s also quite normal for people to feel depressed for a while after plastic surgery, especially in the early days when the results of the surgery aren’t apparent. This will pass. Concentrate on why you chose to have the surgery. If you've met your goals, then your surgery is a success.