How long does the tummy stay numb after a tummy tuck?

Hello ang1005,
Congratulations on your recent abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) procedure! Every patient is unique and will have different healing processes and deadlines. Temporary pain, soreness, numbness, swelling, bruising and incision discomfort are common after abdominoplasty, but your plastic surgeon might prescribe analgesics (painkillers) to alleviate any pain and discomfort. Often the numbness may persist up to one to two years but may resolve sooner. Usually, the majority of these symptoms subside in 6-8 weeks. Hope this is helpful! Dr. De La Cruz. 

Temporary numbness/tingling is expected; most sensation returns gradually over months, with some areas taking 12–18 months (occasionally longer). Gentle scar care, protection from sun, and time are the mainstays. If numbness is associated with pain, redness, or firm swelling, schedule an exam.

It depends on an individual. Generally speaking, it usually takes around 6 months to a full year for the sensation to completely recover. You are still early in the healing process and will continue to see improvements in the coming months.

Many thanks for your question and congratulations on your recent surgery. I hope that you are happy with your results so far.
Numbness can last for several months, occasionally longer. It is not uncommon for the scars to remain permanently numb.
I wish you well with your recovery.
Best wishes,
Marcus

Thank you for the question. When a tummy tuck operation is performed, the abdominal wall skin is separated from the underlying abdominal wall muscle. During this process,  many sensory nerves are divided. Therefore, some degree of  numbness is to be expected. This may persist for months to years. In some cases/anatomic locations, the loss of sensation may be permanent.  Also, as patients become more active, they report abdominal wall swelling (this may increase during the day);  this phenomenon is usually self limited and improves when the lymphatic and venous channels start to work normally. Again, it may take several months/years for this to occur.  

I hope this helps.

In general sensation doesn't begin to return until at least 6 months following surgery. It takes 1 year or more to have return of full sensation. Your plastic surgeon should review with you the postop corse and possible complications.