Hi Teagan in Oklahoma City, thank you for your question regarding how long do you have to sleep on your back after a back lift. Congratulations on undergoing a back lift. A back lift or back reduction is certainly a great procedure. Sleeping on your back after back lift does many things. 1) Sleeping on your back keeps minimum tension on the back lift scar. If you were to sleep upright or sit upright, your position would place more tension on the scar and potentially, lead to wound breakdown. 2) Sleeping on your back after a back lift minimizes swelling or edema. After a back lift, swelling is your normal body‘s reaction to surgery. However, if you can minimize the swelling in the back, your recovery will be faster and you will heal quicker. 3) Sleeping on your back, helps to flatten the back scar and lead to a better overall aesthetic result. 4) Sleeping on your back drives blood just by gravity to the incision to assist with healing. 5) Sleeping on your side can make things worse. The back lift tension lines will be disrupted and could lead to wound break down. Also, by sleeping on your side, fluid can go to one side. This could lead to an accumulation of more fluid on one side compared to the other side. This may make your assessment difficult. Most plastic surgeons advise for their back lift patients to sleep on their back for at least three to four weeks for the reasons listed above. However, these are just generalizations. It is paramount that you follow your chosen plastic surgeon's post-operative back lift instruction set. Every plastic surgeon has their own different set of postoperative instructions and individual guidelines for your healing. I hope that I’ve answered your question regarding how long do you have to sleep on your back after a back lift. Good luck with your healing after your back lift. Sincerely, Dr. Katzen
