Vacationing After Plastic Surgery

We generally recommend patients wait 3 weeks before going on a sedentary vacation (rest only) and 6-8 weeks before an active vacation.  Every patient is different, but these are general guidelines for our practice.

There is a big difference between being able to do something and whether you should do something because you can. If I can interpret this. Your wounds, if healing proceeds uncomplicated, will allow you to go on vacation. However: Will you feel comfortable jumping into the pool? Will you avoid the sun? Will you want to run along the beach? Will you feel comfortable in a bumpy boat/car/plane ride? etc Everyone varies in their recovery abilities and I hope that you are well healed and... more

Assuming all goes perfectly well and that you are a strong person with a good positive attitude and a high pain threshold, this 6 week plan would work. You won't feel perfect yet but should be about 90% normal by then.

I do think that 6 weeks after the procedures you are having, you would be able to safely proceed with your planned vacation, in terms of the scars being strong enough for you to participate in most activities safely. This is not to say, however, that you should expect to be comfortable and carefree by then. Many patients will continue to experience crampy pain in the abdomen with certain motions for several months after abdominoplasty, and this may limit your ability to enjoy yourself. In... more

You are going to have a lot of surgery. Even if everything goes perfectly, you may still have a bit of decreased stamina. What if you have complications? Some compliations can be serious and take months or even longer to correct. I am very cautious about these things. It is likely that everything will be fine, but you must prepare for the possibility that you may have to cancel the trip. Remember that there are no Guarantees when it comes to surgery.

Hello, If you are planning on more "sitting around" than "running around" on that cruise you may be OK. Otherwise, I would wait longer if you want to do more active things...waterskiing, parasailing, etc. Best Regards, John Di Saia MD

Travelling 6 weeks after surgery is usually OK, provided that you do not have any outstanding issues to deal with like minor wound healing problems, seromas, infections, etc.

The limiting part of your surgery is the tummy tuck - it has the longest recovery. But doing 3 "real" procedures at once is additive, so this will be a significant recovery period. As Dr. Rand alluded, as long as everything goes as planned, you can safely enjoy a sedentary vacation after this procedure, but there is a small chance that something may not go as expected, and this could interfere with your vacation plans... I'd feel a bit safer at 8 weeks... There is never a "good& more