Tummy Tuck FAQs

Dr. Waltzman will give detailed instructions for how you can best prepare for your tummy tuck. In general, patients are given a list of substances to avoid before their surgery. The list includes common substances such as Vitamin E, garlic, ginger, and fish oil, but it also contains over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol.

Your tummy tuck will take your entire core out of commission, so it’ll be difficult for you to complete basic tasks for the first 1-2 weeks. That’s why we recommend that patients arrange for additional help with chores or childcare for about a week during the recovery.

Your results will be permanent, but keep in mind – your results may be compromised if you gain weight after your tummy tuck. To help maintain your results, Dr. Waltzman suggests sticking with a healthy diet and a regular exercise regimen.

Your tummy tuck recovery should not be painful, but pain is subjective. Different people will have different reactions to the surgery.

By and large, our patients report the recovery as being tolerable. Patients will feel discomfort in the form of soreness and bruising, but that’s why all patients are given prescription medication. Our patients do report that the tummy tuck feels much less uncomfortable than they anticipated, and many of them switch to over-the-counter medication after several days.

You can still liposuction in the front of the abdominal muscles during a traditional abdominoplasty, however, you can not be as aggressive with liposuction in this particular area as other areas.

A muscle repair, or tightening, is performed in the vast majority of procedures.

Your abdominal muscles will not be enlarged or altered with a tummy tuck. The muscle repair, or tightening, does not increase the size of your muscles. If you already have well developed abdominal muscles, then a tummy tuck will help accentuate them because there will less extra skin and fat covering them up.

It is unlikely that your weight will change at all after a tummy tuck. The amount of skin that is removed typically is not enough to make much of a difference on the scale.

Yes, it is often possible to repair a small hernia at the same time as a tummy tuck. If it is a larger hernia, then sometimes the surgery will be performed with a general surgeon who will repair the hernia.

You should be in good overall health prior to a tummy tuck. Your weight should be stable for at least 6 months. It is a good idea to do a little research from reputable sources (surgeon’s website, surgery.org, plasticsurgery.com) before your consultation so you can have some good questions prepared for your surgeon. If you smoke cigarettes you should be aware that you will need to quit at least 4-6 weeks prior to your surgery. It’s also a good idea to bring a friend or family member to your consultation who can help take notes and ask questions.

You will need to fast the day of your surgery (nothing to eat or drink from midnight the night before). When you get to the surgery center you will change into a gown. The nurse will place an IV in your arm to provide fluids. You will meet your entire OR team which includes the Anesthesiologist and the Room Nurse. Next, Dr. Waltzman will talk with you and make his pre-operative markings on your abdomen. You will then be taken back to the OR by your Anesthesiologist. After surgery you will wake up in the recovery room. You will be wearing an abdominal binder. The recovery nurse will be at your side to help keep you comfortable. Usually patient remain in recovery 1-1.5 hours. Once you are ready to go home your ride will be contacted. Post op instructions will be discussed by the nurse. You will need to remain in a flexed position at your waist. Dr. Waltzman will call you at home that evening to check-up on you and answer any questions.

There are two scars from a tummy tuck. One is around the belly button, and one is along the lower abdomen. The length of the lower scar depends on how much extra skin needs to be removed. All scars fade with time, but there will always be a scar. The best way to know how you will scar in the future is how you have scarred in the past. Some patients form thin white scars and other patients will form thicker red scars.

Most patients will have 2 drains after their tummy tuck. They typically stay in 1-2 weeks.

Depending on the technique used, there are usually a few stitches around the belly button that need to be removed at the 1-week mark.

It really depends what you do for work. I recommend at least 2-3 weeks off for most people, but if you have a more physical job then you will need to consider taking 4-6 weeks off work. We also have a lot of patients who can return to work on “light” or “modified” duty.

Swelling varies greatly by patient. Wearing compression garments does help with some of the swelling, but it also takes some time for your body to heal. Swelling typically goes away first in the upper abdomen, followed by the lower abdomen, and finally the pubic area. By about 6 weeks the majority of swelling is gone, but it can take up to 12 weeks to really see the final result.

Complications are similar to other plastic surgery procedures and include bleeding, seroma, infection, and problems with poor scarring. Additionally, compared to other plastic surgery procedures tummy tuck surgery has an increased (although still low) risk of blood clot formation in the legs. On rare occasion this blood clot can travel to the lungs and become a very serious life threatening complication.

Yes, however, you will likely stretch your muscles and skin again. This might require additional procedures in the future if you wish to achieve similar results.

Natural appearance of the belly button, level of the lower abdominal scar, and overall abdominal contour.

A full recovery typically takes about 4-6 weeks.

The answer is yes, but we always have to think about safety first. As long as the total amount of time in the OR is kept at a safe level, then it is usually appropriate to combine multiple procedures.

I usually recommend trying to wait 4 weeks before picking up small children. You can hold your children at any time if you are sitting or lying down.

Your abdomen should feel tight after surgery. As long as you are not performing anything strenuous then it is unlikely that you will hurt something. It is important that you follow your surgeon’s guidelines as far as activity level.

The discomfort from a tummy tuck mostly comes from the muscle plication, or tightening. To help alleviate this pain, Dr. Waltzman injects a medication called Exparel into the muscles and around all of the incisions. This medication provides pain relief for up to 72 hours. You should still expect to feel tight and sore, but this medication will help to decrease your overall discomfort. You will also have access to Tylenol, ibuprofen, and a narcotic medication. Most patients are off of all pain medications by 1-2 weeks.

An incision is made around your belly button, but it is left attached to your body. Once the abdominal skin has been pulled down a new opening is made. Your belly button is then pulled through this new opening and carefully sewn in place. Often times the size is slightly adjusted to fit just right.

On average a tummy tuck costs around $10,000. This includes the consultation, pre-op visit, surgery, OR fees, anesthesia, scar therapy, and all of your post op follow up appointments.

Most patients plan about 4-6 weeks before having a tummy tuck. However, if you have a specific week in mind, then it is always better to schedule as soon as possible.

On average it takes 2-3 hours from the time you leave the pre-op area to the time you arrive in the recovery room.

Yes, it is still your belly button. It is just coming out of a new opening.