The abdomen will probably be covered in bandages for a few days. You also will be quite sore and swollen for at least one or two weeks. After the bandages are removed, there will be a lot of swelling, and the incision will be noticeable. After the stitches are removed after a few weeks, the scar will fade over a year.
The surgery makes your belly look flatter. Your belly will be sore and swollen for the first week after surgery. You may need to wear a compression garment as you heal. The skin on your stomach will be mostly numb for several weeks to months.
Tummy tuck recovery is approximately three months long. While post-op swelling may last several weeks, a tummy tuck generally takes six weeks to heal and look normal.
A tummy tuck scar will generally first appear as very fine and white in colour straight after surgery (although often not visible due to dressings), before progressing from deep purple, to red, to pink and then slowly fading back to pale purple and then white over 18 months to 2 years.
Tummy tucks can produce belly buttons that are too round, too narrow or too tight and have a visible circular scar around them. “This is often a dead giveaway for a tummy tuck.”
Even in most normal weight and extremely fit women, the abdomen may not be completely flat following abdominoplasty. It is realistic for patients to expect improvement in the flatness of the stomach, but should not immediately assume that their abdomen will be entirely flat.
The tummy tuck is very useful when exercise and diet have failed to tighten the abdominal muscles. However, a tummy tuck is not really designed to make you look “thinner.” Rather, the tummy tuck improves the muscle profile of the abdomen, which in turn can have the effect of making you look more fit and toned.
There will be some discomfort after a tummy tuck, with the worst discomfort experienced within the first week. On a scale of 1 – 10, pain is often estimated at around a 6-7 for the the first few days to a week, reducing to around a 3 – 4 in the second week. This would, of course, depend on the individual.
It will take several months for all the swelling and bruising to fade, so you won't see the final results for some time. Therefore, it's essential to be patient and wait for the body to heal. After most of the swelling fades in two or three months, you should begin to see a smoother, tighter belly.
With a full tuck, you will lose more weight than you would with a mini tuck because you probably have more excess skin and fat to be removed. Finally, the opportunity to lose the most weight after abdominoplasty is reserved for clients who choose an extended tuck.
Whilst the removal of this can result in some loss of body mass, a tummy tuck is not a weight loss solution. In fact, removing excess skin can make it easier for patients to shed pounds and contour their bodies post-surgery.
A tummy tuck surgery not only has a big effect on the look of the abdomen, but it can also affect the appearance of other bodily structures. It is not uncommon for patients to report that people believed their breasts looked bigger.
Sometimes people do not have a totally flat abdomen after tummy tuck even though the excess skin and fat is removed due to the fact that the intra-abdominal contents still remain intact and are still behind the tightened abdominal muscles.
The worst days after your tummy tuck will be the first one to three days. You may experience some discomfort, bloating, pressure, and swelling, but these symptoms are normal and will resolve themselves.
Overall shape of the abdomen
A successful, natural-looking tummy tuck should result in both a smooth tummy and a symmetrical, feminine contour around the hips, waist, and flanks.
Whether you're contemplating a Mommy Makeover package or just want to undergo a tummy tuck, you'll be relieved to know that any pain from this cosmetic procedure is far less than that experienced after a C-section.
Gaining a handful of pounds after your procedure won't compromise your final tummy tuck results. You can usually fluctuate within 10 to 15 pounds of your goal weight without any significant issues. However, weight gain over the 15-pound mark can cause skin and abdominal muscles to slowly stretch out of place.
After a tummy tuck procedure, sleep in a slightly bent position that avoids pulling on the stitches. This is essential for proper healing and successful results. Sleeping in the wrong position could compromise your results and prevent you from getting the quality rest you need.
Most women lose between 2 and 3 pants sizes after a tuck, but there are patients who lose even more. If you had a lot of loose skin before the procedure, for example, you could go down 4 more pants sizes.
Fortunately, a tummy tuck can help to reduce your waist size by removing excess skin and fat. For patients struggling with a pooch or pouch-like appearance on the lower abdomen, tightening the abdominal fascia and repairing diastasis recti can further slim their contour.
How does a tummy tuck affect my waistline? A properly performed tummy tuck can reduce your waist size and help you feel confident about your curves again. Some patients may lose many inches off their waist, while others will see more subtle results. It all depends on how much tissue can be removed safely.
During a tummy tuck, excess skin and fat are removed from the abdomen. The skin is then draped back over the newly repositioned contours to create a smoother and more toned look. A tummy tuck — also known as abdominoplasty — is a cosmetic surgical procedure to improve the shape and appearance of the abdomen.
Where do patients gain weight after a tummy tuck? During body contouring procedures like a tummy tuck, fat cells are eliminated from the body and cannot return. Because of this, patients may gain weight in other places like the buttocks, legs, arms, and breasts.
An expertly performed tummy tuck can accentuate your curves and sculpt a better-defined waistline, but don't expect the procedure to make you look like Jessica Rabbit if you naturally have a straight-as-a-stick silhouette.