Recovery Time for Tummy Tuck + Hernia + Breast Aug?

Hi and thank you for your question regarding recovery time for a tummy tuck + hernia + breast augmentation. It is important to prioritize your recovery after a major surgery like a tummy tuck with hernia repair and breast augmentation with lift. As a general guideline, it is recommended to avoid lifting anything over 10-15 pounds for at least 3-4 weeks after surgery, and to limit activity for up to 6-8 weeks to ensure proper healing. Lifting anything heavy before your body is fully healed could cause damage to your incisions or even compromise your results. It's important to have a support system in place to help with daily tasks and caring for your children during your recovery period. Please discuss your specific case with your surgeon to get personalized advice and guidance on your recovery timeline. Thank you for your question and best of luck with your surgery and recovery. Sincerely, Dr. Katzen.

The Mommy Makeover is a combination of procedures to bring a woman’s body back to the way she looked prior to pregnancy. Most commonly some variation of a #TummyTuck and #BreastSurgery are performed. Additional procedures can include liposuction, umbilical hernia repair.  The most common #breastprocedures include #mastopexy or #breastlift, #breastaugmentation, or #breastreduction.    Healing after a  #tummytuck will require time. Some patients are out of bed and walking the night of surgery and every hour while awake. I allow my patients to return to work at one to two weeks with 14 days preferred.  However, no lifting or straining.  At three weeks, increased level of activity and full with no restrictions, at 6 weeks. #Healing will continue for 2-3 months following your #Augmentation #Mastopexy procedure. There may be some swelling, bruising, malposition, color differences. Sensation will be abnormal. Scars will also be changing. But, it can be up to one year see your final result. Your doctor may require you to move or massage the implants within the breast pockets during the #postoperative period. #Textured implants do not require breast massage. You will be informed about this at your post-operative visit. Also, the two breasts commonly heal quite differently so #asymmetry is not unusual. One breast may swell more, feel more uncomfortable, or have a different initial shape. After complete #healing, they will be more similar and natural. You must have patience, but if this causes concern, ask questions of the doctor or the nursing staff.As I advise my patients, if your work keeps you sedentary, you may return whenever you feel up to it. If your work is strenuous, wait until your work activity does not cause any superficial pain. Some employers will modify a person’s job duties so they can back sooner, but without physical activity. Our office can provide our patients with a note stating they are not to engage in strenuous activity for a specified period of time. The note will not disclose what procedure they have underwent. Therefore, you may have to request a similar note from your surgeon if you are not independently employed. I recommend avoiding heavy lifting and strenuous #activity for six weeks following your surgery. With that said, it may help you plan your return to work accordingly.As for heavy lifting and other #strenuous #activities, it should be avoided for until you have clearance from your surgeon. You may, however, do normal activities at any time if they cause no pain or #discomfort. Let your body tell you what you can or cannot do. Aerobic exercise will raise your blood pressure, which could cause late bleeding and harm your result. Once you begin exercising again, start gently and let your body tell you what it can tolerate. Don’t rush!!  If you have concerns about your healing, or pain that you question to be unusual, it is important to call your plastic surgeon to discuss these further asked to be examined.

A hernia can easily recur if you don't take care of the area.  You should also wear a tight binder to give added support to the surgical area for the full 6 weeks.  I usually tell my patients that after 3 weeks you can easily sit on the floor and have your baby come to you so you don't have to worry about lifting.

Recovery times following mommy makeover surgery vary from patient to patient. It’s important to remember that this is an extensive procedure, that combines cosmetic breast surgery, abdominoplasty and in some cases, liposuction. It may also have additional components such as hernia repair surgery. Because of this, returning to strenuous activity to soon after surgery can potentially have negative consequences.

We generally recommend light activity for the first two weeks following the procedure. Patients are allowed bathroom and kitchen privileges, but encouraged to minimize activity. Light ambulation in a slightly flexed position is encouraged to avoid the formation of lower extremity blood clots. After two weeks, patients are allowed to gradually resume normal non strenuous activities. Strenuous activities such as lifting a twenty pound baby are not allowed for at least four to six weeks. At six weeks, most patients are able to resume all of their normal activities.It’s important to remember that every patient is unique. The specifics of their day to day lives and their procedure will have a significant impact upon their recovery. In some cases, return to normality will occur quickly, while in others who have more demanding lifestyles, it may take longer. In your current situation, having child care assistance will be critical to your recovery.Make sure you discuss this issue with your plastic surgeon. Your surgeon may have important insights which will ultimately help your recovery.

The safest answer would be to wait 5 weeks before resuming normal activities including lifting your 20 pound son. This time period is selected because at 6 weeks there is about 90% wound healing has occurred (wound healing tensile strength).

It is not specifically the strict weight of lifting that concerns us but the use of the stomach muscles. I have had one person. who was accustomed to having a bowel movement everyday, strain so intensely that they ruptured the muscle repair.

Our concerns with lifting are related to two features:

1.The potential for bleeding in the first 24 hours and then again between 7-10 days
2.The possibility of rupturing the muscle repair. This can occur anytime for 6 weeks after surgery.
However, the limitations are subject to interpretation and, in my practice, I advise patients to be cautious for 2 weeks. When lifting children, I ask that friends or partners place the child in your lap or that you use your legs and thighs to lift
 

Karlamae,
I recommend to my patients at least 6 weeks of light duty (not lifting more than 5 pounds). We like to keep you aerobically active, but heavy lifting can put strain on your incisions and may affect your ultimate result. Good luck with your surgery.

Typically a Mommy Makeover is a combination of some type of breast recontouring, abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) or mini abdominoplasty and and liposuction of the hips and thighs. When all 3 components are performed at the same time the results are usually very dramatic. In order to achieve the best outcome it is essential to closely follow the postoperative instructions given to you by your surgeon. Each surgeon has his or her own postoperative instructions. In our practice we have a lengthy discussion of the procedure and the postoperative instructions for each component of the Mommy Make Over. Of these 3 components tummy tuck requires the longest recovery. A patient should plan on staying home for 2 weeks after a tummy tuck. After that they can begin to reengage in many day to day activities. Athletic activities which create stress on the abdominal wall should be carefully reintroduced at 8 weeks progressing to 12 weeks. If the abdominoplasty included muscle tightening or in your case a hernia repair more aggressive exercises such as sit ups and abdominal crunches should wait for up to 12 weeks.After a breast augmentation it is best to restrict raising your arms high above your head for 3 weeks postoperatively. It is also best not to lift more than 10 or 15 pounds for these 3 weeksThese are the postoperative instructions I give my patients. Each doctor however has his or her own postoperative instructions that they expect their patient's to follow. It is very important that you follow your surgeon's postoperative instructions and call if you have any questions.

Thank you for the question.

On average, patients take 4-6 weeks off after this much surgery.  You really want to take it easy after this procedure and have as much help as possible.  Try not to lift for at least 6 weeks.  The longer you "baby" yourself, the better!

Best Wishes!

Tummy tucks are a very popular and effective way to contour the abdomen and tighten your waist. Patients undergoing this procedure should understand that there is a significant recovery process as well. In our practice, we provide every patient with two separate compression garments that help provide even compression throughout the areas that have been treated and also provide support. Our patients routinely take 10 to 14 days off work after the surgery but quite commonly returned to work sooner than that. We asked our patients walk as much as possible for exercise immediately after surgery and wait 4 to 6 weeks before returning to the gym for full activity.

To learn more about tummy tucks, see photos, and help you decide which one is best for you, please visit us at the link below: