Tylenol not lasting the whole time. After a tummy tuck, is it safe to take ibuprofen?

Hello and  thank you for the question. I would suggest you clear this with your surgeon. Generally speaking, I allow my patients to have Motrin or Ibuprofen 48 hours after tummy tuck, but different surgeons have different opinions about this and you should ask your plastic surgeon. Best,Pejman Aflaki, M.D.Johns Hopkins-trained plastic surgeon

Thanks for submitting your question.  Your surgeon is best suited to answer questions about your recovery process and when taking Ibuprofen would be safe for you.  It is best to have regular follow up appointments with your surgeon and discuss any concerns you have about the recovery process.  Best wishes on a speedy recovery and great result.

First, you should be careful about taking too much tylenol to avoid destroying your liver. Motrin affects platelet function. Platelets are the first step in clotting and stopping bleeding. After platelets are laid down in the area of bleeding then, thrombin forms to glue all the platelets together and seal off the bleeding. Therefore, once the bleeding stops, platelets are no longer needed and it should be theoretically safe to start taking motrin as long as you don't do anything to stir up some new bleeding.