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How Soon Can I Return to my Office After Tummy Tuck?

asked 2 years ago by bzz77 in CA
Latest answer by Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS
Question viewed 1,895 times
Tags: female, weight loss, belly, loose, recovery, skin, swelling

Hi everyone. I have lost weight and have some loose skin on my belly. The only thing holding me back from getting a Tummy Tuck is the recovery time. I know that it can take weeks to months for swelling to go down and that is OK. What I am concerned about is returning to work.

1) On average, when are Tummy Tuck patients mobile enough to return to the office?

2) Is it possible to get a procedure that is still effective, but requires less recovery time?

Thanks a lot for your advice.

12 answers to How Soon Can I Return to my Office After Tummy Tuck?

Return to Work Date after Tummy Tuck

Strenuous activity and the lifting of more than ten pounds must be avoided. Many patients are able to return to work and daily activities within 2-3 weeks of surgery if there is no strenuous activities (for example lifting more than 20 pounds). If that is the case then waiting 6 weeks may be more reasonable. Remember that there is great variability of healing times between patients, which will be prolonged if there are any complications. Softening of the surgical... more

Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Tummy tuck recovery?

Thank you for your question. I would advise at least 3 weeks before returning to the most sedentary types of jobs after undergoing tummy tuck surgery. Returning to work too soon is one of the reasons patients suffer physical and/or emotional setbacks after this major surgery. Some general words of advice you may find helpful: 1. Make sure you are doing the procedure for the right reasons (for yourself) and that you have realistic expectations. Be aware that an... more

Tom J. Pousti, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

www.poustiplasticsurgery.com

Returning to work after tummy tuck

When patients can return to work after tummy tuck depends on their 1) pain threshold, 2) type of work, and 3) extent of tummy tuck. Some patients require more pain medications than others. Some work require more physical work. Mini tummy tuck requires less recovery time than full tummy tuck. In general, my patients go back to work within 10 to 14 days as long as they have non-physical desk jobs. In regards to your second question, if you have excess skin and/or... more

Sugene Kim, MD
Houston Plastic Surgeon

Returning to work after Tummy Tuck

Many patient who are not required to lift heavy objects often return to work after 10-14 days depending on their comfort level. We ask our patients to begin walking the night of surgery. The recovery time can vary from patient to patient and depends on the type of surgery you have. Some patients can benefit from removing the excess skin and fat, but not having your muscles tightened. This can significantly reduce your recovery time after a tummy tuck.

Ankit Desai, MD
Jacksonville Plastic Surgeon

How Long after a Tummy Tuck can I return to the office?

Hi there- As long as your job doesn't require strenuous physical activity such as lifting heavy books, charts, files, boxes, etc, and you don't need to do a lot of walking at work, you should be able to return after 2 weeks. I have had some patients return to administrative jobs after 10 days (having surgery on Friday, taking the next work week off, and returning on the following Monday), and for the most part they do fine, but they do seem to have more nuisance problems- nothing time... more

Armando Soto, MD
Orlando Plastic Surgeon

www.DrArmandoSoto.com

Alternative to Tummy Tucks

Hey Bzz77, I recommend to most of my patients with a desk job to plan 2 weeks. Most of them do return at about that time but there are others that are back to work in a week (few) and still others who will take extra time off about 3 weeks. There is no way to be sure how long you will need off until you have it done. Muscle tightening definitely makes the recovery a little more painful for the first few days, but doesn't seem to lengthen the overall time of recovery. As far as... more

Daniel P. Markmann, MD
Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

DiscoverTheBeauty.com

Most tummy tuck patients are back to work in about 2 weeks

For jobs that don't require lifting, most patients having a standard Tummy Tuck (skin removal, muscle tightening, and liposuction) are back to work by 2 weeks. Some patients are back sooner, but 2 weeks coincides with resolving soreness, moving about better, drain removal, and just feeling better. Is there an equally effective procedure with faster recovery? If you have significant loose skin, then a tummy tuck will be necessary. If you do not require muscle tightening or liposuction... more

Michael D. Yates, MD
Huntsville Plastic Surgeon

Usually okay to return to office work 3 weeks after Tummy Tuck

Not an easy answer to give. The soonest would be 10 days but most likely 3 weeks would be an average time frame. But there are always exceptions. I have a patient return to work at 5 days. You need a boarded plastic surgeon who will follow you closely in the post operative period. Regards and Merry Merry.

Darryl J. Blinski, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon

Recovery from a Tummy Tuck

Everybody is different but in the hundreds of Tummy Tucks i have performed i cannot think of a single person that required "weeks to months " away from a desk job. For the most part, even with a full Tummy Tuck involving muscle tightening, most women take between 5-10 working days off to return to a desk job. You can read a review by one of my patients on RealSelf at the link below - Dr. P. Aldea

Peter A. Aldea, MD
Memphis Plastic Surgeon

Time off work for a tummy tuck is generally 2 weeks

I cannot tell from your post if you have loose skin only or if you have reasons to have separation of the muscles of your abdominal wall. If this is a skin only procedure, it is possible that you could return to a desk job in a week. However if muscle tightening is required, I believe that two weeks off is necessary. All of this time off increases if your work is more physically demanding. You should be able to get more specific recommendations when you have an in person consultation with a... more

Elizabeth Lee, MD
Bay Area Plastic Surgeon

artfulsurgery.com

Returning to office work after tummy tuck

It sounds like you are well informed about tummy tuck recovery. In general, you will be best off if you can take a week before returning. This assumes that you don't have to be physically active at work and you will be off all narcotic pain medications. One thing that I have found helpful in speeding recovery is the use of internal stiches called progressive tension sutures. These help to minimize the output in the drain tubes so they can be removed earlier. Another thing is the On-Q... more

Richard Baxter, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Returning to work after Tummy Tuck

Pain perception and pain med requirements vary widely among patients. If you are motivated to do so, you could probably return to a sedentary office job after 7-10 days. Conversely, patients whose jobs require lifting and straining may require missing work for 6-8 weeks. If you have a good bit of excess skin, you probably are not going to happy with anything less than a full tummy tuck.