How long does the internal healing process take?

Question

How long does it take for the muscle repair to heal internally and the incision to be perfectly healed inside out after a tummy tuck . Is it true that you are never fully healed till 6 months to a year post op. Usually at 6 weeks your muscles are repaired at 50% capacity and that's enough to resume normal day activities which includes carrying a one year old .

Keshav Magge, MD · Answer

It depends on what aspects of the surgery.  The muscle repair takes a good 6-8 weeks to have enough strength to do vigorous exercise.  Also, I tell my patients no heavy lifting greater than 10 lbs until 6 weeks because I want the muscle tightening sutures to hold. The scar and the muscle tightening mature and it takes a year to see the final results of the scar.

Yucel Sarialtin, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question
Normally after a tummy tuck the muscles take about 6 months to a year to heal. although the best recommendation is that you listen to your body since each person recovers differently.
good luck!

Israel Manon, MD · Answer

Hello
The inflammation process can last from 6 months to 1 year, each patient has an individual recovery process, I recommend that if you have any concerns or doubts consult your doctor.
  
Regards
  
Dr. Israel Mañon
  
Certified Plastic Surgeon

Raj S. Ambay, MD · Answer

In my practice i have never had a patient regret having done this 
procedure. But a great outcome requires the patient to follow 
directions, and the doctor to give patients a realistic expectation 
rather than "sell" the procedure. Not everyone is a great candidate for 
every procedure like fancy adds may claim. Also, every doctor has a 
different approach that works for him/her. In my office, I tell patents, back to work in 10 days (take off the weekend on either side of a work weeks). I tell them
 you will walk and shower the next day and there is no restrictions on 
walking. I prefer to keep people walking a bit hunched for the first 
three days to keep the incision as low as possible. Drains are out about
 5-7 days. Increase cardio after two weeks and full workouts after 8 
weeks. Back tp workIn my practice I also give free personal training intro sessions 
and dietetics counseling to get you started on the right path during your
healing. I want the tummy tuck to be just the start of the journey and I
 want my patients to lead a happy and healthy lifestyle. Hope this 
helps.

Connie Hiers, MD, FACS · Answer

Your complete healing time can take up to a year, but most are able to resume regular activities, including carrying a child, between 6-8 weeks. The muscle repair is done with permanent strong sutures. At 6-8 weeks, your tissue should be healed and strong enough to support lifting.

Gary L. Ross, MBChB, FRCS · Answer

Usually you should be back to full normal activity by 6 weeks. Wound healing is a long process but the majority is complete after 6 weeks. After this period there is remodelling of the scar internally but usually the strength of the scar does not alter much after 6 weeks. You are correct that scar remodelling can take months /years but in reality you should be able to pretty much everything you normally did at 6 weeks.

Jourdan Gottlieb, MD · Answer

Most surgeons allow patients to resume full activities by six weeks after tummy tuck. The rationale is that the healing incisions have reached 90% of their ultimate healing strength ("bursting" strength) by that time. For 100% healing, it takes some months.All the best.

R. Stephen Mulholland, MD (retired) · Answer

Dear SaS82,

In general, tummy tuck surgery with
formal repair of the rectus abdominis (tummy muscles), belly button reposition
with a lower abdominal super-pubic incision can take from six months to twelve
months to completely heal and repair itself. 
By completely healing and 
repairing itself, soft tissue irregularities have smoothened out, the
scar has lightened and the sensation has returned to the skin.

When performing full tummy tucks
with muscle repair, I do often find that my patients return to light activities
such as stair climber, elliptical and normal walking by two to three weeks and
modest activities by four weeks.  By six
weeks, patients are able to do sit-ups and begin the process of toning their
central muscle or rectus abdominis muscle.

Overall, tummy tuck surgery with or
without combined liposuction surgery results in good improvement in figure,
shape and form by the third to the fourth week and excellent improvement by six
weeks.  There is some period of bloating
and swelling that can persist for some months, but in general, patients look
better approximately six weeks after the surgery than they did before.

Occasionally, depending on your
skin type, tummy tuck incisions may need laser treatments, injectable therapy
or topical silicone gel sheets in order for the scar to completely flatten and
lighten.  This may take many, many
months, but can be hidden by relatively small underwear or bathing suit.

Don’t forget there are other
procedures such as mini skin-only tummy tucks, telescopic and endoscopic tummy
tucks combined with advanced modern contraction-type liposuction procedures
such as SmartLipo&trade; and BodyTite&trade; that can minimize the recovery and the extent of the
scarring.

At this point, a consultation with
a certified plastic surgeon with a lot of experience in the various forms of
tummy tuck surgery would be my best advice.

I trust this information has been
of some assistance and best of luck.

Sincerely,

R. Stephen Mulholland, MD

Certified Plastic Surgeon

Yorkville, Toronto

How long does the internal healing process take?

Answers (8)