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Tummy Tuck Recovery

Tummy Tuck Recovery

After the tummy tuck surgery, patient's abdomen will probably be swollen and the patient is likely to feel some pain and discomfort, which can be lessened and controlled by painkiller medication. Depending what kind of a tummy tuck surgery you've had - a complete abdominoplasty or a mini abdominoplasty -- you may be released within a few hours or you may have to remain hospitalized for two to three days.

Common side effects during tummy tuck recovery include discomfort or pain which can be easily controlled and easied. There will be bruising as well as some swelling of the abdomen region. Some patients also experience numbness of the central part of the abdomen below the navel. There's occasionally, too, nausea and/or vomiting after general anesthesia.

In tummy tuck recovery there are few distinctive phases.

  • In the first phase, the first step to optimal tummy tuck recovery is postoperative care. After tummy tuck procedure the patient may spend a few hours or several days in initial tummy tuck recovery, resting in the hospital and adjusting to the regimen of antibiotics and painkillers. The physician will recommend that the patient relaxes for at least two days, in bed. When in bed the patient should bend their legs at the hips to reduce the strain on the abdominal area. During that time it is also recommended that patients wear the tummy tuck garments.

  • The second phase in home tummy tuck recovery phase is when the patient returns home. Virtually all surgeons give their patients explicit, personalized instructions regarding their individual tummy tuck recovery based on previous interview. These instructions have to do with the ways to prevent blood clots as well as monitoring for infection as well as optimization of tummy tuck recovery, including ways to prevent excessive scarring.

  • The third recovery phase involves proper maintenance of your new abdomen. This is when you should pay special attention to exercising and good diet regiment. Gentle exercise reduces tummy tuck swelling and it lower the chance of blood clots, and tone muscles.

In most cases tummy tuck recovery success depends to a large degree on how fit the person is. A person with strong abdominal muscles will take less than two weeks to recover, while someone who is not used to exercising may take significantly longer. Full tummy tuck recovery generally takes six months - this is how long it takes for all the swelling to go down and for the new body shape to emerge.

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