Waist cinchers after a tummy tuck?

Question

I am 4 months post-op from my tummy tuck and just curious how or if using a waist cincher would be beneficial? I am still having alot of swelling and still needing to wear my control garments.

Jerome Edelstein, MD · Answer

Hello,I suspect that you may need to wait a couple more months wearing standard, surgeon recommended compression before applying something very constrictive. I recommend that you have your Plastic Surgeon review it and advise you.Take care

Emmanuel Mallol Cotes, MD · Answer

Thanks for sharing your concerns with us. At this point, 4 months post op, the swelling has to be minimal. In my practice I usually recommend compressive girdles. There are some girdles that comes with integrated cinchers that you can use. To reduce the swelling, I recommend you perform daily lymphatic drainage massage therapy over the abdomen and wear a postoperative girdle from thigh to the breasts.If the after six months post-op, I recommend you to send us your photos, to give you more information about how we can solve this problem.Kind regards,Dr. Emma Mallol Cotes.-

Nelson Castillo, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question.  At this point in your healing process I would recommend you continue with your control garments to help with your swelling. A waist cincher would likely apply too much pressure to the tissues that are still healing, potentially compromising your result.  Once your surgeon clears you from surgery, and feels you are healed sufficiently, you will be able to resume use of your waist cincher.

John Zavell, MD, FACS · Answer

A constrictive garment like a waist cincher may prolong your abdominal swelling at 4 months post-op.  I would recommend continuing with your control garments (Spanx is a good one) until your doctor feels that the swelling has resolved.  Then the cincher should be ok.

Greg Bancroft, MD, PhD · Answer

I would suggest continuing to wear your control garments to help with the resolution of your swelling and consider finding someone in your area who performs lymphatic or postsurgical massage to help with this swelling also. Some waist cinchers are ok to wear after a tummy tuck after all the skin has healed but others will be too tight on the underlying skin and cause very real problems like skin injury and contour abnormalities. Obviously the best thing to do is ask your surgeon if he feels your body has healed enough to wear the particular waist cincher you have in mind. Good luck on your continued recovery!

Ravinder Jarial, DO · Answer

Greetings and thank you for the question. It is possible to use waist cinchers. However, I would recommend you ask your plastic surgeon first before pursuing this option. Every surgeon will have a different approach on this topic. I have recommended the use of a Spanx garment or something comparable.  However, your surgeon may want to examine you to make sure everything is healing appropriately. Best wishes.

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