How Long Will I Stay Swollen After a Tummy Tuck?

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.

 

The body heals with swelling and inflammation and usually that maxes out at two days and then starts getting better. Most of these patients take no pain medicine (because of the nerve blocks given during surgery) and usually feel very comfortable going out in public the same or next days.  I usually call my patients the night of surgery and check on them in person the next day. If everything is fine the next day, I then let them shower and they do not need a dressing over their incisions. At the two week check up, I usually have people start working out and then after six weeks they can do whatever they want. 
I routinely tell people to take a few days to a week off work and to hide out but some people are very nervous especially celebrities and they might hide out for two weeks. As with any scar on the human body, initially scars are red, hard and raised and it typically takes six months to a year for them to become a soft thin white line. 
Additionally with recovery, there're many things we do to expedite healing such as nerve blocks during surgery, oral supplements, skin care and scar therapy recommendations, lymphatic massage sessions that are included in our pricing.
I strongly feel that it's very important to have an honest conversation with your surgeon about your particular situation, lifestyle, work environment and specifically which procedures you're having done so that you both have the most honest answer about your recovery and are realistic with expectations and results.
I would recommend that you see a board-certified plastic surgeon in your area that is a member of both ASPS & ASAPS and performs a lot of tummy tucks. 
I hope my answer helps and if it does, please take a moment to up vote this answer on the “respond” button on the top right.  Have a great day.

Everyone heals differently, most of the swelling is usually gone after a month, then the balance may take several months to resolve. If you over do it you will find some swelling will come back. Good luck.

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.

  Swelling after tummy tuck usually lasts 3 to 6 months, but most the swelling is gone after a few weeks.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

The length of swelling after a tummy tuck can be quite variable among patients.  Many factors are involved including the amount of tissue removed, if any liposuction was performed at the same time, genetic factors, etc.  In general, a significant amount of the swelling is gone by 6 weeks to 3 months.  The final result will not be apparent until at least 6 months.  

there are different types of tummy tucks with different amounts of swelling time. In addition the patients age, medical history and height weight ratio a lot come into play. Having said that, I developed the Malibu tummy tuck (TM) Patients typically wake up in no pain (please see the full tummy tuck patient video on our page). Pain and recovery are less versus traditional techniques. I hope you find this information useful. Please see the enclosed video. 

Swelling after a tummy tuck will last several months and fluctuate with activity level.  Most swellign will subside within a few weeks.

This can vary from patient to patient. Typically there is significant decrease by 6 weeks with most swelling resolving completely by 3 to 6 months.  Wearing an abdominal compression garment is really important in the first 6 weeks after surgery.  This helps greatly to keep the swelling out the abdominal skin and soft tissue allowing your tummy tuck to heal nicely.  If liposuction is added to adjacent areas-- this can sometimes increase the length of time that you have swelling.