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Is Ten Days off Work Enough for Tummy Tuck?

Is ten days a significant amount of days to ask off for work to have a Tummy Tuck? I am worried about the drain. I don't want to take the drain to work with me!

Asked 31 months ago by Jean 2009 in Utah

Tags:

recovery

Time off Work for Tummy Tuck

10 days may be ok as most plastic surgeons have said here. 14 days you would be perfectly fine and the drains would be out by then. 10 days might be pushing it but it really depends on the person and your comfort and pain threshold. The drains usually come out 7-14 days after the surgery. I usually have my patients wear their garment for about 4-6 weeks to help with the swelling. So you will definitely need to wear some sort of compression garment when you go back to work. It also... more

Farbod Esmailian, MD

Orange County Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Maybe, Maybe Not

I've done a lot of tummy tucks. The drains can take anywhere from 7-21 days to be removed. Although most get them out by 10 days there's no guarantee that this will be your case. As Murphy's laws go it would be you that would need to have the drains left in for 3-4 weeks. So no gurantees. As far as pain is concerned it depends on you and your tolerance. Moms in their late 30's and 40's tend to do well as they understand that they must keep going. But that's not to say that younger... more

Christopher L. Hess, MD

Fairfax Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Should be OK to work 10 days after Tummy Tuck

Most of my patients are back to work in 10 days or less. Depending on how much work you need, there may, or may not be a drain. Usually I have patients up and walking around the very next day after the surgery and you certainly could be on the phone or a computer in that time frame which allows many people to work from home. The presence of a drain (should you need one) should not limit you from returning to a desk type job and the vast majority of my patients return to work in 5 days,... more

Darrick E. Antell, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Time off work for a tummy tuck

Dear Jean, The length of time to be away from work varies on the patient and the type of work you do. If you have a desk job and normal "pain tolerance", I would give you a 90% chance of being fine for work after 10 days. You might still have the drain. It is an annoyance to have the drain at work, but it does not prevent you from working. (Thinner patients tend to get the drain out earlier than heavier patients.) If you have a job that requires heavy lifting or physical... more

Michael A. Bogdan, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Downtime for a tummy tuck

10 days should be fine. As everything, there's a spectum of possibilities in the recovery for this surgery. There are many varying techniques in performing a full abdominoplasty that your ABPS Board Certified Plastic Surgeon will be familiar with. If you discuss return to work at this deadline, I believe that it will in fact help your recovery since you are so motivated to get out of bed and mover around. A technique of internal suturing can help get your drains out sooner than usual... more

Doctor's Website

Ricardo A. Meade, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Drain Removal after Tummy Tuck

You may be ready to return to work 10 days following your tummy tuck. Most of my patients require somewhat longer periods before returning to work. This certainly depends in part on what your duties are at work. Patients with totally sedentary jobs are able to return much sooner than someone who must lift and strain at their workplace. As far as the drains are concerned; that also varies a good deal from patient to patient. I can assure you that you will not be happy, however, if your... more

John Whitt, MD

Louisville Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

You Could Go Back After 10 Days But You May Swell More

Your drains will probably be out by then, and assuming you have a desk job you will probably be OK. However, you may have more swelling than usual, which may be uncomfortable. Of course, your doc will be the best one to guide you on this.

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John LoMonaco, MD

Houston Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Tummy tuck and drains.

Hi! In New York City, most of our tummy tuck patients are able to return to work in 10 days. Drains don't have to stay longer than that, and sometimes much less. It depends on the technique.

George J. Beraka, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Drains and recovery after tummy tuck

You might ask your surgeon about the progressive tenstion suture method, which greatly reduces the amount of time that drains are required. I published a paper on this 10 years ago, in which I was able to reduce time for drains to about 2-3 days. Dr. Harlan Pollock in Texas doesn't use drains at all for abdominoplasties, but I still find them helpful for a couple of days. If you have a job that doesn't require lifting, you should be in good shape to return to work in 10 days. more

Richard Baxter, MD

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Generally 10 days off after tummy tuck may be enough, but check with your plastic surgeon

The best person to give you this advice is your plastic surgeon who has taken your history, knows what kind of work you do and knows the extent of the surgery being performed. Having said that a lot of patients who have a non physically strenuous job could return to work at 10 days. Techniques have improved and drains aren't left in as long as they used to be, many standard abdominoplasties the drains are out by the end of the first week. Your surgeon may recommend a garment of some type... more

John E. Gross, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Generally 10 days is enough time off after a tummy tuck

Most patients will have their drain out by 10 days especially if they have not experienced massive weight loss. These patients can drain longer. For most patients a 10 day time off from work would be adequate but you need to be careful not to lift heavy objects when you return.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Downtime after a tummy tuck

Most of my patients no longer have drains 5-7 days after surgery, but other plastic surgeons leave them in longer. If you have a job that involves a lot of sitting, you should be fine to return to work in 10 days. You may notice that your stamina is diminished and that you fatigue easily; nonetheless, you should be able to make it through the day. More active jobs may pose some difficulty, as your strength and stamina will still be compromised. If your job requires heavy lifting, you... more

Sam Jejurikar, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Tummy tuck

Since the drains may have to stay in longer than 10 days you should probably arrange for more time off from work, just to be safe. You can always return sooner. You also don't mention what kind of work you do. It's no problem to sit at a desk but heavy duty work should be avoided. Don't cheat yourself on convalescence, it's very important.

Edmond A. Zingaro, MD

San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Time off work after tummy tuck

It depends. Sorry for equivocating, but there are variables in every operation. Most of the time, the drains and sutures are out by 10 days and patients are going about their everyday routines (with some handicap). If you have a desk job, I would permit you to return to work as soon as you felt comfortable (almost always by 10 days). If you worked in construction, the convalescence would be longer. Now, some patients don't recover as quickly as others. Returning to work might not be possible... more