Girdle Panty Vs. Binding for Tummy Tuck Recovery

Question

I am spose to wear my binding after tummt tuck for 6 weeks  what can happen if i dont wear it all the time.. It hurts me and i hate it...Will a girdle panty do the same thing.I just find that they dont hold me as tight as the binder... or do i suck it up and wear it for 2 more weeks.I am having a hard time standin up strait.Will the pain just go away one day and tada i can stand strait. Scared now of being hunch back haha

Otto Joseph Placik, MD · Answer

I prefer a binder type dressing while the drains are in place and then switch to a panty like garment after removal of the drain.

Nick Masri, MD, FACS · Answer

I am a firm believer in postoperative compression following the tummy tuck procedure. The compression garment must however be functional . It should not be painful or restrictive. It should be snug and form fitting.

The length of time one should wear a compression garment after surgery varies. Six weeks is a reference however this number is arbitrary.

I like to use this analogy.... You can wipe off your kitchen countertop with a wet sponge and place it next to the sink and leave it alone. It will dry eventually, however if you take that wet sponge and push on it , or compress it, that wet sponge  will dry much faster.

Its hard to think of your abdominal skin as a wet sponge, however after surgery the inflammation and the swelling of the tissues postoperatively can be compared to that wet sponge.

It is hard to say how much compression is necessary and for how long should it be used.  I definitely find it to be useful in my patients

Peter A. Aldea, MD · Answer

Many years ago, as a young surgeon in the early 80's, I was educated by a wise older surgeon that
	- 25% of the things we do in Medicine are right and based on science,
	-  25% are wrong because they are based on false or incomplete science and
	- 50% of what we do in Medicine is bogus and based on fetish, superstition and personal preference.

	I have a busy Tummy Tuck practice and have heard hundreds of women complaining about the compression garment. Just as you have.

	While the garment in theory increases the adherence of the skin to the underlying muscle, it also made breathing hard (resulting in fevers and pneumonias), put pressure on the skin (and probably slowed the flow of blood in it maybe causing wound healing issues), may slow blood flow through the legs potentially causing leg swelling and maybe a higher rate of blood clots, was uncomfortable and hot as well as expensive. I therefore stopped using it in my Tummy Tuck cases a few years ago.

	The result - happier patients. No increase in drainage. Better overall results and satisfaction.

	speak to your surgeon before doing anything. I would NOT wear any pressure garment which could restrict blood flow under the belly button. That would be worse than your current garment.

Girdle Panty Vs. Binding for Tummy Tuck Recovery

Answers (3)

More Tummy Tuck Questions

WE SEND PRETTY
EMAILS

Answers (3)

More Tummy Tuck Questions

Fighting Insurance Company for Tummy Tuck

Pitting Edema After Tummy Tuck

What Would Cause Vertical Scars to Appear 2 Weeks Post Tummy Tuck?

Fluid Still Coming out After Drains Were Removed Post-tummy Tuck

Belly Button Scars After Tummy Tuck. Is there a reason for surgeons to make the opening around the navel so large?

Is It a Bad Idea to Have a Tummy Tuck in Your 20s?

WE SEND PRETTY EMAILS

WE SEND PRETTY
EMAILS