I’m wondering which has the worst recovery, and after surgery pain, a tummy tuck or a BBL?

The pain is typically more severe with a tummy tuck due to abdominal muscle tightening, whereas a BBL procedure has no muscle repair but the discomfort and inconvenience of not being able to sit for a few weeks. Each patient responds somewhat differently to each procedure but most would likely say the tummy tuck is more painful.Best wishes,Dr.Bruno

Hello dear,Thank you for your question and wish I can provide to you some information you will find helpful.Brazilian butt lifts and tummy tucks are serious procedures, and the recovery process is important, not only for your health but also for your long-term results. Anyways do not forget that every persons body is different and reacts differently to healing process.

-As you are recovering, you’ll need to follow multiple steps to ensure that you are recuperating well. As soon as you are stabilized, you will need to get up and move your legs and also wear compression stockings to avoid blood clots and this applies for both procedures.

- Regarding a BBL. to minimize any damage to the fat cells that have been transferred into your buttocks, you need to avoid sitting on your butt for two weeks.   While this may seem like an impossible task – it is possible to follow doctor’s orders. The good news is that you can  modify your sitting by using pillows under your thighs, or sitting on your side. it is  also recommended that you sleep on your side, rather than on your back and buttocks. In addition to avoiding sitting, you’ll also want to avoid squatting or stretching your buttocks for two weeks, as these movements can also damage the newly injected fat cell grafts. Besides all that,while you’re recovering, you’ll want to wear your girdles throughout the day and night, both over your buttocks and your tummy. These important compression garments prevent tissue swelling, which may interfere with your results. You might experience some pain,numbness,tingling or just general discomfort but nothing unbearable.
-As for tummy tuck recovery,most of the intense pain will be in the first few days following surgery. You can take the prescripted pain medication to control the pain you are likely to experience. Your tummy may feel like it’s being pulled when you try to stand up straight. You may feel numbness in your tummy for months or even years. It’s normal to have bruises in your abdominal area. You may have fluid-filled swelling above the scar, but this will go away. Your scar may be red and raised, but it will eventually fade. You may experience swelling for up to three months after the surgery. İt all might sound scary but it is definitely worth it.
Hope this helps you to make the right choice  and be as happy as you can with your body.

Best regards.

Ozge Egun M.D

Aesthetic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon

While pain will vary from procedure to procedure, patient to patient and technique to technique, an abdominoplasty is generally considered to be the more intense of the 2 procedures. This is typically attributed to the muscle tightening component of the abdominoplasty. This imparts a another level of tightness and discomfort.The recovery from a BBL, while, generally speaking, less painful, can be more complicated as patients cannot sit or sleep supine for an extended period as pressure affects grafted fat survival.As always, discuss your concerns with a board certified plastic surgeon (ABPS).

Healing and recovery are patient dependent.  Pain control is important.  I typically use whatever medication a patient has used in the past that has had success.  If the patient has never had surgery or never used pain medication, I use oral narcotic meds of varying strengths.  The pain can be managed effectively, and this aspect should not deter you from surgery.I recommend to all my patients that they not engage in exercise until at least six weeks following a TT. You may find yourself hunched over for a few days post op; this can be attributed to a combination of repair and incision.  The muscles have been irritated to a certain extent by plication and the surgery itself.  I only tighten the abdominal wall to return it to an anatomic norm rather than tighten it as much as possible. This produces a functional result without producing prolonged discomfort.  The abdominal wall may need several months to get accustomed to the changes.Data collected from the hundreds of BBLs I have performed indicates that the average pain or discomfort period lasts from 3 -  7 days, depending upon the amount of fat injected into each buttock. According to my patients, the few days of discomfort are worth it.Kenneth Hughes, MD, ABPS Board Certified Plastic SurgeonLos Angeles, CA