Dear nunu5150,binders are used to help with prevention of swelling after surgery. Every plastic surgeon has his own postoperative protocol which he recommends to his patients. I would suggest you to discuss this with your plastic surgeon and follow his instructions.Daniel Barrett, MD, MHA, MS Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery Member, Am. Society of Plastic Surgery
Thank you for your question. You will find that different plastic surgeons will have different thoughts regarding the necessity of binders and/or other compressive garments after tummy tuck surgery. I would recommend that you, once you have carefully select your plastic surgeon, follow his/her specific recommendations. Having said that, longer-term swelling after tummy tuck surgery is not uncommon; swelling may persist for many months and even up to one year after the procedure is performed. Often, patients will report that the swelling increases as their activity level increases and gets worse later on in the day. The use of compressive garments may be helpful to control the edema. In my practice, I ask patients to use the abdominal wall binder for the first three to four weeks after surgery and switch over to a comfortable but compressive garment subsequently. Often, patients find the use of a spanx like garment helpful for the first 3 to 4 months after surgery.I would suggest that you continue to follow up with your plastic surgeon, who will be in the best position to assess your situation and provide you with specific recommendations. Best wishes.
