What Can the Patient Expect After a Tummy Tuck?

Dr. Foster has extensive experience with Tummy Tuck surgeries in Las Vegas, Reno and other places, apart from his offices at Tahoe and Sacramento. After a Tummy Tuck, Dr. Foster’s patients can expect a good, tight and thin tummy. Post-surgery, there is a little bit of swelling that makes it seem even tighter. A drain-in is left with the patient for the first seven to 10 days. It has a constant suction that removes any fluid that accumulates in there. Without the drain, the healing process can get adversely affected.

Although some surgeons leave the drain for two to three weeks, Dr. Foster usually leaves it for a week to 10 days. The patient is required to empty the drain whenever it becomes full, which is about three to four times a day. If the patient uses and maintains the drain properly, good healing is assured.

Once the drain is removed, the patient will feel more comfortable and can stand up straight. For the first six weeks, the tummy actually tightens more and more. Thereafter, it begins to soften and settles down better. After about three months, the patient starts feeling totally normal.

Occasionally, after the swelling has gone down completely, there can be a little pouch of skin at either end of the scar and the groin. This new little pouch can develop during the healing phase. If this happens, Dr. Foster removes it for the patient. It is a simple procedure, just like removing a mole.

The patient also needs to wear some kind of special support garments for the first six weeks after the surgery. Dr. Foster provides this special garment to the patient. It is easy to wear and easy to hide under normal clothes.

For Dr. Foster’s patients, the scars remaining after the Tummy Tuck are about as thick as a thread. The scars need to be 12 to 14 inches long in order to ensure the appropriate surgery. But they can be placed where they get hidden underneath a string bikini. So, the scars are quite easy to hide once they are completely healed.

Although the Tummy Tuck is normally recommended for women who do not plan to have any more babies, there’s a chance of a patient becoming pregnant again. A mother can indeed carry a normal pregnancy after a Tummy Tuck, but certainly, it ruins the results of the Tummy Tuck. She may have to have it re-done later. In any case, an accidental pregnancy after Tummy Tuck should not be considered a catastrophe.

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