What is the comparison in recovery time, pain and discomfort between a lower body lift and an upper body lift?

Question

I had an upper body lift in December (arms, breasts without implants, and flanks). I am considering LBL in the future. The UBL was not painful, but the pulling, tightness, and mobility issues were uncomfortable. I was off work for four weeks with the upper body lift. Some of the time off may have been needed because of my anemia and an infection. I was very tired after the surgery. I have heard that the LBL is much worse than the upper and I'm not sure I would do the UBL again.

Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS, FACS · Answer

Your recovery can be made much easier when Exparel is used.Essentially Exparel is a very long-acting local anesthetic that has just been released. It lasts approximately 3 or more days following injection. This is the same length of time that a pain pump lasts and will therefore take the place of a pain pump. This means patients can enjoy the same effect of a pain pump, but without any catheters and no pain pump to carry around.Exparel will be available for those concerned about minimizing discomfort after surgeries such as tummy tuck and breast augmentation.Exparel costs the same as a pain pump and produces the same result but with less hassle.

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FACS · Answer

Pain is subjective. By this I mean everyone experiences pain differently.  For some, a mild painful stimulus causes severe pain; while for others, a significant painful stimulus causes only minimal pain.  Most people refer to this as "pain tolerance" or "pain threshold".  Some people have a low pain tolerance, whereas others have a high pain tolerance.I believe the lower body lift is more painful than the upper bodylift. The recovery for the lower bodylift is approximately 3 to 4 weeks. I would definitely take 2 to 3 weeks off work. If you have a very physical job, I would take 3 to 4 weeks off work. The pain from a lower body lift is usually managed with a pain pump and oral pain medication. The lower body lift includes an abdominoplasty, bilateral lateral thigh lift, and a buttock lift.  Patients often describe the pain afterwards as feeling "tight and constricting".I have had patients who only need pain medication for 2 to 3 days after their 360 body lift.  In addition, I have had patients who take pain medication for four months after their 360 body lift. It all depends on your perception, interpretation, and reaction to a painful stimulus.

J. Jason Wendel, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question.The recovery for these procedures is similar with a similar number of drains too.

To be sure, see two or more board
certified and experienced plastic surgeons in your area for a full and complete
evaluation.

I hope this helps.

Carmina Cardenas, MD · Answer

Definitely LBL is a bit tougher the recovery and discomfort because involve a larger surface of the body:Includes the Tummy Tuck (skin resection of the front abdominal area, sides), muscle repair, navel reposition, Butt lift (which is done through the "wing"incision" ) and the result is an incision all the way around. This procedure could be combined with thigh lift or liposuction to your back and probably fat transference into your butt.I recommend my patients to take off about 6 weeks.Be encouraged, you are in the middle of the beautiful transformation of your body.Dr. Cardenas

Henry Mentz, MD, FACS · Answer

Lower Body Lifts are more involved as Dr. Cardenas said because it's working on more areas of the body than the upper body lift. I use Exparel® with all of my tummy tuck and body lift patients to control pain after surgery, and it has really transformed the recovery experience. It's much better than the pain pump, and my patients say they have no pain at the incision, just soreness on the inside. You will still experience the tightness and mobility issues as you did with the upper body lift. May I ask what the source of your infection was during your UBL recovery?

Ronald V. DeMars, MD (Retired) · Answer

I think the lower body lift is a little harder due to the need to tighten the abdominal muscles. Ask your surgeon for a pain pump as they work miracles for this surgery. The worst of the pain is over in the first week and I would think you should feel about the same after one month as you did with the upper body lift.

What is the comparison in recovery time, pain and discomfort between a lower body lift and an upper body lift?

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