Which is More Painful Between Breast Augmentation and Tummy Tuck?

With either procedure, you really should not have "pain." You will have discomfort, but pain should be adequately controlled with pain medications. With breast augmentation you there is discomfort from stretching the skin and muscles. With abdominoplasty, there is discomfort from tightness. However, this really should not preclude you from having the surgery. Good luck with your procedure.

Thank you for your question. A tummy tuck and breast augmentation are great procedures to combine as they address some of big changes that happen after pregnancy or weight changes. Typically the tummy tuck procedure has the more intense recovery process in terms of activity restriction and discomfort.  I would consult with a board certified plastic surgeon in your area to discuss your options in more detail.

My short answer is that neither procedures have to be particularly painful with the availability of Exparel, a long acting local anesthetic lasting at least 3 days in my experience. Both of the procedures can be done at once with a fraction of the discomfort. Exparel is injected during surgery in all areas of your surgery. This has made a huge difference in my practice. See my below link for more information

In my opinion, the tummy tuck has more discomfort and takes a bit longer to recover from. This is usually due to the tightening of the muscles that needs to be done in order to achieve a flat abdomen. That being said, after the initial 7-10 days, patients are feeling a lot better and more like themselves. I think the breast augmentation patients tend to feel better a lot quicker (3-5 days or so).
Good luck with your procedure!
Dr. Salemy

I have done each separately and many combined. Each individual is unique and some have felt the breasts were worse while others complained more about the abdomen. I would advise that you ask for a pain pump if your surgeon can provide this. The anesthetic can help ease the discomfort of muscle spasm for the first few days. I also would advise the use of a muscle relaxing agent such as valium or flexeril if you surgeon concurs.