I Have a Lot of Tightness After a Tummy Tuck?

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.

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.

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.