
EXPECTATIONS AFTER A TUMMY TUCK
The tummy tuck is a surgical procedure where the doctor removes excess skin and fat from the middle and lower areas of your abdomen. This method can significantly improve the look of your tummy by eliminating the obnoxious wrinkled skin that sometimes appears as a result of a serious weight loss program or after pregnancy. Your tummy will look firmer and tighter, not to mention that some stretch marks may also be eliminated in the process. However, the tummy tuck procedure is not meant to get rid of all the stretch marks on your abdomen. Depending on the position of the stretch marks, some will be removed with the excess skin, but others will remain where they are.
The procedure is recommended to both men and women who have extra skin on the abdomen and find it difficult or impossible to get rid of it through dieting or exercising. Also, it is a procedure that appeals to many women who have just given birth and are left with what can look like a pouch of fat at the stomach level.
Just like with any plastic surgery procedure, setting up realistic expectations is vital to the success of the operation. You need to know that after the surgery, for about a month, you will need to wear an elastic belt, and physical effort should be avoided at all costs. For a few days after the procedure, your abdomen may be swollen, and numbness and bruises can occur. Medication can and will be prescribed to control the discomfort, pain, and weakness. In three to six months, the scars will become less and less visible, and while they will never completely disappear, it will be tough to see them in a year’s time; you will probably need a magnifier.
If you want to have this procedure done in preparation for a significant event in your life (your wedding day, for example), you will need to take into consideration that the estimated results will be visible in about four months’ time: no sooner. Also, for a while after the surgery you may find it difficult to resume your daily activities at the same intensity; you will be recovering from abdominal surgery, after all.
When discussing your expectations with the doctor, it is important to tell him all the special conditions you might face. For example, taking care of an infant with no help around can be quite difficult, if not impossible, immediately after the tummy tuck procedure. Your doctor will paint a very realistic picture of what to expect after the tummy tuck surgery. While your abdomen will definitely look much better and you will fit into clothes that you never dreamt of before the surgery, it won’t bring back your body from before the pregnancy or before you started putting on weight. There are changes your body went through that make it difficult for it to jump back to the previous shape instantly. But a tummy tuck combined with exercise and a proper diet can lead to an even better-looking body in time!