Will taking a small walk 6 days post op tummy tuck and lipo cause me to have serenoma?

Hello and thank you for your question.The real answer about exercise after a tummy tuck is that the instructions will somewhat vary by surgeon and by patient.  For example, I usually advise my healthy, active patients to avoid rigorous exercise and heavy lifting for 6 weeks, but I do allow light walking.  Your surgeon may have given instructions to your nurse that are specific to your case.  The best thing to do is discuss your concerns with your surgeon to see if your activity level can safely be increased.Best of luck to you,Ruth Celestin, MD 

Thank you very much for your enquiry. Generally we do encourage our patients to
walk from day 1 and we do not use any drains following our tummy tucks and have had no significant seroma in the 300 patients who we have performed tummy tucks
on.
This is due to an internal quilting stitch
technique which closes down potential space for a seroma to develop.
Overall I think walking generally and
keeping the circulation to your legs going is good as it limits the tendency to
develop blood clots in the legs (DVTs).
However I think it is probably best to give
your surgeon a call just to check they are happy with this as a way
forward.



With best wishes

Thank you for your question. Most surgeons encourage early walking after abdominoplasty (tummy tuck.) In fact I even insist my patients walk around the house on the day of surgery. Walking decreases the risk of blood clots in the legs, and helps patients fully expand their lungs after general anesthesia. Light walking does not, in my experience, increase the occurrence of seromas.