Minneapolis Tummy Tuck doctors

Dear Arik,

   I have my patients begin light activity at 2 weeks. They are performing more strenuous activity including core exercises by 6 weeks. You will experience soreness and minor discomfort for a short period of time after you resume activities but this resolves with time. Be sure to ask specific questions about your activity level with your surgeon before and during your recovery.

Though the majority of plastic surgeons use abdominal binders or compression garments after tummy tucks, I am not aware of a randomized study comparing results, complications, and patient comfort between binder and no-binder groups. Obviously, there are surgeons who prefer to use scientific evidence rather than "established practice," habit, or how their professor trained them as basis for these types of decisions. Often, progress is made in surgical practice because someone decided to challenge the "normal" and go against the "conventional wisdom!"

I appreciate Dr. Aldea's insight and personal experience with no binder use in his own patients.

I also must say that Dr. Harrison's answer was the same I received when I asked my own office staff about their own tummy tucks. I've also had patients ask if they can re-use their binder (after the immediate post-op use has been discontinued) because they say they feel more comfortable with it on when pre-menstrual, swollen, or after eating salty foods, for example. They actually prefer the "extra" support, and "miss it" when it's discontinued!

As a surgeon who has had 4 abdominal operations myself, I can also identify with the fact that when I sneezed or coughed after surgery, external support (either by abdominal elastic binder or simply splinting my abdomen with my arms) made the tender incisions and muscle repair feel less uncomfortable and better protected. Seroma formation may be decreased with compression, but there are also tummy tuck surgeons who advocate no use of drains and seem to avoid seromas in the majority of their patients.

But, ultimately, you chose your surgeon on the basis of many factors, and you should follow your own surgeon's advice. I like the fact that he's basing his advice on lack of science that "proves it's necessity" rather than "the conventional wisdom." But then again, there is a reason that the majority of surgeons use some sort of properly-fitted, non-binding, non-constricting, and non-blood clot-inducing compression. Not necessarily because it's proven beyond scientific reproach to be of benefit, but sometimes just because it's more comforting for the patient! And there's nothing wrong with that at all!

It certainly seems as if this would make an interesting study.

Best wishes!

After 6 months, most of the healing has completed and durability restored to the entire abdomen. There may be additional softening and fading in your scars, and of course there may be more sensation as cutaneous nerves heal and regenerate, but the muscle repair has reached a point that any kind of exercise is safe and appropriate. . .

 . . . as long as you start gradually and slowly build up intensity, especially after NO exercising to that extent since before surgery.

Realize that even professional athletes can tear muscles, rupture tendons, and cause themselves injury by over-doing a certain exercise or activity. So can you. "Listen" to your body and build up your exercise routine more gradually.

It is actually extremely unlikely that you did anything other than over-exert your out-of-condition abdominal musculature. Soreness is the normal response. Tearing of sutures and all your healed scar tissue is possible, but extremely unlikely. So, take ibuprofen, relax, and see your surgeon IF symptoms persist.

I'd bet that things will settle down if you give yourself the time and avoid re-injury by overdoing it. Best wishes!