How long for muscle, outer skin, and fascia to all adhere again after tummy tuck?

Thanks so much for your question. I always explain to people that despite the cute nickname, abdominoplasty is a bid deal. Expect to be pretty out of commission for a couple weeks & probably not back to any sense of normal for 1-2 months. I encourage activity, but no heavy-lifting or straining for at least 2 weeks then ease back in to normal activity. While full recovery including all swelling takes 6-12 months to completely resolve, by ~ 12 weeks you should be close to where you are finally going to be. Tissue should be healed and layers adhered by then. Drains may be used to encourage tissue adherence & prevention of fluid collection. Remember nothing substitutes for an in-person consultation & evaluation by a board-certified plastic surgeon.Best of luck!Sincerely,
John David Rosdeutscher, M.D.

That's a very pertinent question. Would healing continues for about a year. However, collagen has most of it's strength back in 3 months or so. Practically speaking, according to the technique used for your tummy tuck, most activities can be resumed after 2-3 weeks, with the exception of abdominal exercises and strenuous lifting.

I highly recommend the no-drain (drainless) tummy tuck. This required a special suturing technique called Progressive Tension Sutures which closes the empty space resulting from a TT and speeds up the adherence you asked about. This also dramatically reduces the risk of a seroma, shortens the recovery time and discomfort, tightens the skin even more, and you don't have drains for 5-10 days, which patients claim to dislike.

I hope this has helped answer your question. Thank you for your interesting question, and best of luck to you.