I'm having BA without a lift and a tummy tuck without lipo with minimal muscle repair in a month. Manageable pain?

Question

I am curious since I have very little muscle separation if that may make the recovery more manageable?

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

Those alterations will likely reduce the overall pain associated with recovery.  You may need 2 weeks before return to work and 6 weeks before return to strenuous activity.

Aldo Guerra, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question. Pain is part of the mommy makeover and it should be managed appropriately for the best outcome. The best solution I've found is Exparel which works really great on the tummy tuck and reduces only about 50% of the pain sensation on the breast implant surgery. I suggest you speak with your plastic surgeon about it beforehand.

Best wishes and good luck, Dr. ALDO :)

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Best wishes and good luck, Dr. ALDO :)

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

Top 100 Doctor for Realself

Realself Core Physician

William Andrade, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question.  There are many ways to manage postop pain after mommy makeover surgery.  Options include oral medications such as narcotics, anti-inflammatory medications, acetaminophen etc, injectable local anesthetics, computer-controlled delivery of medication intravenously or into the wound itself, and so on.  Most patients tolerate the procedure quite well.

Brian M. Derby, MD, FACS · Answer

Everyone handles pain differently after surgery. It's actually pretty interesting to see how some patients require no pain meds and others significantly more despite comparable techniques being used in both. I use long acting pain meds injected around the surgical sites to help offer relief. I find muscle repair to create more pain than most procedures I perform, but the benefit of repair is remarkable in a lax abdomen. Ask your surgeon what means are being used to control pain at its high points in the days following surgery. Best of luck.

Steven Vath, MD · Answer

Unfortunately, pain and pain tolerance are so subjective from patient to patient. Generally speaking, the more muscle tightening you require, the more uncomfortable you are post op. I have had great results using Exparel on my patients to alleviate tummy tuck pain for 72 hours post-op. If you feel you have a low tolerance for pain and/or would like to minimize narcotic drug use post-op, I highly recommend this product.

Emmanuel Mallol Cotes, MD · Answer

Thanks for the question. I recommend you to send your photos to us to give you the advice you want and deserve.

Kind regards

Bhupesh Vasisht, MD · Answer

Theoretically speaking you are right that the muscle repair will make your life a bit easier.  However, even some muscle repair will result in pain, but the good news is that this is manageable.   You are going to do great.  enjoy your transformation.  Hope this helps.  Good luck.

William LoVerme, MD · Answer

In any plastic surgical operation there is more pain when muscles are moved or repaired. In my breast augmentation I most often perform them in subfascial plane which is much more comfortable than any submuscular approach. Patients have minimal pain. In tummy tuck the repair of muscles is more painful than whether or not lipo is performed. Even a "minor" repair of muscles will cause some extra pain. In that case I either use a very long lasting local anesthesia (Exparel) which lasts 3 days or I use a "pain pump which continuously infuses local anesthesia for 4 days. This will limit your need for narcotics which can cause constipation, nausea or other issues. Be sure to ask your doc what kinds of things are done to prevent pain as well as what is treat pain when it comes. Good luck.

Carlos Burnett, MD, FACS · Answer

The lesser degree of muscle separation may be a minor factor in your recovery. The fact that you will not have liposuction is perhaps more important regarding comfort.

DrBurnett#realself100

Bennett Yang, MD · Answer

Thank you for the question. The mommy makeover procedure typically takes about 2 weeks to recover. The pain is usually very real in the first week. Most patients need about 1-2 weeks of pain meds to help cope with the discomfort. The muscle tightening of the tummy tuck and the under muscle stretch of the breast implants is what hurts the most. I typically will provide patients with a narcotic based pain med such as percocet and add some valium with that for the muscle relaxation. Remember, that all narcotics carry some risk of addiction. There is also the very real side effect of constipation. So ample fiber / fruit / stool softeners should be utilized both before and after surgery. Best to you.