Since I've had my full tummy tuck 12 days ago, I have no sensation in my stomach. Is this normal?

Question

I can't tell if I'm hungry or if I am full. No hunger pangs etc. Is this normal?

William Andrade, MD · Answer

Thanks for your inquiry.  It can take months for sensation to gradually recur after abdominoplasty surgery so it is not uncommon to have numbness in the short term.

Earl Stephenson, Jr., MD, DDS, MBA · Answer

It is quite normal not have sensation to the skin after abdominoplasty.  Sensation will improve over the next six months. It's also not uncommon to have a decreased appetite after surgery. This should slowly improve.

George Marosan, MD · Answer

After a TT, you will experience skin numbness especially in the lower abdomen. Normal sensation can return, but it might take a few months, even up to  two years. Hunger sensation might be altered as well, since your abdominal muscles were tightened and you might feel fuller sooner. Also, your appetite may vary after surgery, which is not unusual, but it will get back to normal within a few weeks. What you are experiencing is normal. These are the issues that I personally discuss with my patients preop so they understand and be better prepared for their postoperative healing.

Vincent N. Zubowicz, MD · Answer

What you are experiencing is completely normal.  The anesthesia of the skin will improve over many months.  There might remain a permanently numb area between the umbilicus and pubis.

Gary Lawton, MD, FACS · Answer

Having some numbness on the skin is normal.  Not being able to tell if you are hungry could be from many things.  You should definitely check in with the plastic surgeon.

Robert B. Louton, MD · Answer

During the TT procedure numerous cutaneous nerve are cut to create the abdominal wall flap.  This leaves a considerable area (usually below the belly button) numb.  Most often a great deal of the sensory returns but this takes eight to twelve months.  Areas of hypersensitivity are normal during this healing process and generally indicate nerve regeneration.I hope this helps.

Stephen M. Davis, MD, FACS · Answer

It is best you have your plastic surgeon evaluate your belly and determine what is going on.  Sometimes when the belly wall is tightened there is some indirect stomach compression and people fell full early. That being said I've seen this very rarely.Good LuckStephen M. Davis, MD, FACSGreen Hills Plastic Surgery

Since I've had my full tummy tuck 12 days ago, I have no sensation in my stomach. Is this normal?

Answers (7)

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