FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS about Tummy Tuck surgery:
Tummy tuck surgery / abdominoplasty leaves a well hidden scar in your bikini line – out of sight and only really visible when you are naked. The fear of scarring is a big concern for many people who are considering a tummy tuck. In our experience, the fine scar along the incision line improves with time and we have a system of initiating the proper treatment with tapes or silicone gel to give you the desired results. The scar is as low as your caesarian section scar – which will of course be taken away during a tummy tuck.
Drains are often used after surgery to help the body expel fluids that collect at the surgical site. After a tummy tuck, patients will have one or two temporary tummy tuck drains inserted to speed up the recovery process and avoid additional swelling, haematomas or seromas. The usual duration of the drains is 2-5 days, depending how much fluid they collect. Removal of the drains is done very gently and does not cause pain.
There are no major risks associated with becoming pregnant after tummy tuck surgery, but Dr. Stasch recommends that the patients wait until they have completed their family and are not planning on more children before undergoing this procedure. This can help ensure the results achieved are not compromised by the bodily changes that often occur during pregnancy. Of course, we have many patients who successful had babies after tummy tuck – even many years later.
Usually we recommend to wait a minimum of 3-6 months after having had a baby to come for a mummy makeover to ensure that you have fully recovered from the procedure. Breast feeding is important and should not be interrupted for cosmetic surgery. However, if the baby can take the bottle, then pumped breast milk stored in the fridge / freezer can be used for a few days after the operation during recovery of the mother.
A small amount of weight gain and loss is normal and has no effects, but a significant weight gain after a tummy tuck can have a negative impact on your tummy tuck results. You can see increased belly fat, stretch marks, and loose or stretched skin. For these reasons, Dr. Tilman Stasch recommends that you get a tummy tuck procedure after weight loss and maintain a healthy diet and exercise regime after your recovery to maintain your results. Having said that, the results will ALWAYS be way better compared to not having has tummy tuck surgery.
Corset training is recommended 2 weeks after your tummy tuck. This will give you the snatched waist that most of our patients desire. We also always provide post- surgical garments which will be fitted for 6 weeks after surgery.