Like any surgery site you will develop swelling after a tummy tuck. Now remember that the area of surgery for a tummy tuck is extensive.....from the surgical scar all the way up the rib cage internally. So you have to expect an extensive area and degree of swelling involving the entire abdominal wall…including the pubic region and down into the groin.This swelling is often quite dramatic between the scar line and belly button. Also, the pubic area can initially be very swollen, especially if liposuction was also performed here. One of the reasons you are recommended to wear a pressure garment for the first 6 weeks is to control the swelling. This swelling gradually subsides but typically takes several months to fully settle. Also, it can fluctuate with some days where you can look quite bloated whilst other days you’re looking trim. Many people continue to wear the garment beyond 6 weeks as it tends to provide some control of this swelling. We also recommend you perform gentle daily massage to these areas starting a few weeks after surgery to help control the swelling and facilitate the settling process.
Swelling from a tummy tuck usually lasts at least four months after surgery and occasionally up to 12 months. Often with the lifting and pulling of the skin that occurs in this procedure that recurring draining that must occur during recovery can lead to swelling at periods, hopefully reducing as time goes on. Always remember that the type of procedure and your surgeon’s methods will cause this to vary, especially in that there may be some severe swelling within a few weeks followed by some periods of swelling that slowly reduce over the rest of the recovery period.
It is always longer than you want and than we expect. As your activity increases so does your swelling. Keep a pressure garment on if possible and massage your lower abdominal wall to get lymphatic channels working quicker. In most patients it takes a few months.
