Tummy Tuck - Skin Only, No Muscle Repair, No Liposuction - Albany, NY

Hello! This is my first entry reviewing my recent procedure. I wanted to put my recovery process online because prior to my surgery I found there was not a lot of information out there about recovery from a tummy tuck without muscle repair or liposuction.

I'm 38 years old and have had two children via C-section. I recovered easily from my first and bounced back. Even though I didn't gain a lot of weight with my second child my skin took a beating. I was left with stretch marks and damages skin from just above my belly button down and I struggled to lose the weight the second time. Over the past five years I have lost all remaining pregnancy pounds and a few more for a total of about 30 pounds. I'm about 5-10 pounds from my goal weight. The more weight I lost the worse my sagging abdominal skin began to look. I work out 5+ days a week and felt I had worked really hard and it was disheartening to realize there was nothing I could do about the condition of my stomach no matter how many crunches I did or how many more pounds I lost.

I consulted with a plastic surgeon who had removed moles from my body before about cool sculpting. He told me I was not a candidate because what I had was excess skin and not a lot of excess fat. A tummy tuck was the only fix. We discussed my activity level, abdominal strength and my desire for the least invasive surgery with the easiest recovery. Even though he said everyone can benefit from muscle repair and that I'm bound to have some kind of separation from having two children, we agreed that I could get the results I wanted without the muscle repair. I felt confident based on my OBGYN's previous exam and my own "self" exam that my muscle separation wasn't significant. My goal wasn't to get the abs I had when I was 21 - just to lose the excess skin so that I could see and be proud of all the work I had done over the last 5 years.

So...that's the backstory. Now for the procedure. I had my surgery at a surgical center at 7:30 AM on a Friday. I was home by noon. I had MAC sedation (twilight sedation) but I don't remember anything except a few voices telling me to "try to sit up" - apparently while getting wrapped up and getting my binder put on and feeling like I was talking but slurring. Within 30 minutes I felt very alert. I was not nauseous and I had very little discomfort.

Day 1 (same day as procedure): I arrived home surprised by how good I felt. I was relieved the procedure was over. I felt tight and couldn't quite stand all the way up but I was able to walk around quite a bit. My pain was very manageable and I did not take any pain killers. Only Tylenol twice the first day. I felt odd because my binder was stuffed with gauze and dressings so I had to wear baggy sweats. Sleeping was hard the first night. I was worried my drains would spill! They didn't. I slept propped up at the head. It was hard to get in and out of bed but not terrible. I can't say I slept very well. Total drain output on day 1 was 125 and 150 on my two drains.

Day 2: I woke up feeling good but was tired and a little down. I was anxious to get the dressings off so I could start to see my flatter stomach! I started my antibiotics on day two and still only took Tylenol once in the afternoon and once before bed. I walked around a lot and tried not to stay seated in the recliner for more than 20-30 minutes at a time. I had coffee today!!! I could see the top inch of my stomach between the binder and my bra was tight and flat - I was anxious to see the rest! Drains were slowing down and lightening - output only about 40 and 60 for 2nd 24 hour period. I'm hoping that means a quick removal!! They are the most annoying part of this process but just something you have to be patient with.

Day 3: Slept really good last night. Still propped up a bit but less anxious about sleeping with drains and I woke up only once or twice during the night. Getting out of bed was easier and I don't feel quite as tight. I'm standing up straight. Most of my tightness is down the sides of my stomach. I took a peek today to see how long my scar is and I think it is from the inside of one hip bone to the other and is low and straight. If that's the case I'll be really happy! I'm very anxious to see what the scar looks like. I have had no pain today - only slight tightness and I haven't had to take anything. I go for my follow up tomorrow (day 4) and am hoping to get the gauze and packing removed and see what things are looking like!

I had my 3 day post op appointment today and was relieved to have all the bulky dressings removed. I got a look at my new tummy and am very happy! The PS said swelling will decrease and results will continue to improve. Drain output (combined) total is 100 and I have to be below a total of 40 for 4 days before they will come out. I'm going to have to get creative about hiding them! I have posted my before pictures as well.

Here are my before pictures - I wasn't able to get as close up as I wanted. I could literally grab the loose skin and pull it out a few inches. The skin itself was very wrinkly and damaged - more so than is apparent in this picture.