How Long is Downtime for Tummy Tuck?

I'm a 32-year-old LPN and I want to have a tummy tuck. How long will I have to be off work? Is it a good idea to have the tummy tuck now if I am getting married in July?

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3 Doctor Answers | Asked by tyella in pa,usa

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Recovery Time

Downtime for abdominoplasty can vary from patient to patient. 7-10 days is usually a minimum for time off of work. If your job requires you to be on your feet the majority of the day, then 2 weeks more realistic. At 6 weeks you are fully healed and have no restrictions. If you are planning to have your surgery within the next week, you should be fully recovered for your wedding at the end of July.

Consider your timing carefully

It takes about three weeks to get to about 60% activity level. By 6 weeks you will be permitted to engage in full physical activities although you will not be doing everything that you are permitted to do. It will take about 3 months before the healing is about 75% done and another 3 months to get to the 90% level. Although you certainly should be ready by July, I always caution patients who are anticipating major life events to give themselves an excessive amount of time, just in case... more

Abdominoplasty Recovery

We tell our abdominoplasty patients that a general rule of thumb that it takes a full 3-weeks to get over the first phase of recovery. By that I mean that you can probably head back to work by then. You may be able to return to work earlier than that, but 3-weeks is usually a pretty good estimate. At 6-weeks you should be fully recovered and feeling much improved. As for timing the surgery around a July wedding, you'll be fine if you have the surgery now.Considering the 6-week recovery,... more