I Have a Lot of Tightness After a Tummy Tuck?

Question

I had my tummy tuck four weeks ago and I feel a lot of muscle tighting. I read that the tightness feeling is permanent and it never gets better. I just want to know is it true?

Miguel Delgado, MD · Answer

The tight feeling is very common and usually means that your surgeon did a very good job.  It will certainly  relax as time goes by.

Mark Schwartz, MD · Answer

It is perfectly normal to feel tightness one month after a tummy tuck.  A tummy tuck usually involves two components.  First, the abdominal muscle separation is corrected by bringing the right and left sides together to the midline.   Second, the excess skin and underlying fatty tissues are removed from the lower part of the abdomen.  Both of these maneuvers improve the appearance of the abdomen, but can work together to cause a feeling of tightness. 

	This sensation generally takes several months to resolve, but can take longer in patients who have more extensive muscle and skin tightening.  If the tight feeling is disabling or associated with difficulty breathing, I would recommend that you bring this up with your plastic surgeon at your next follow-up visit.  Good luck.

Jourdan Gottlieb, MD · Answer

Any permanent tightness would be in the skin. The muscles are not shortened in any way, but brought back together in the midline. Any sensation of muscle tightening is usually increased muscle tension (or spasm) from the abnormal posture that occurs for the first few days, when most patients are not able to straighten their posture. 

	The tightness almost always improves. 

	Thanks for the question, best wishes.

Margaret Skiles, MD (retired) · Answer

It is entirely normal to feel tight after a tummy tuck; that was the whole point--to tighten the tummy. At four weeks after surgery, you also have swelling that will also make it feel tight. This will go away in the first few months after surgery though it tends to be better in the morning and more swollen and tighter in the afternoon for most of my patients. So over the next few months you can expect to feel less tight and softer. But you should probably check with your surgeon to make sure that you are having a normal recovery. Good luck to you.

Stuart B. Kincaid, MD, FACS (in memoriam) · Answer

Feeling tightness is normal 4 weeks after surgery. It takes months for the swelling to subside and for your muscle and skin to relax. Tightness does not last forever, its does take up to 2 years for it to feel completely normal again.

I Have a Lot of Tightness After a Tummy Tuck?

Answers (5)

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