A tummy tuck is considered a relatively safe plastic surgery procedure and it is certainly gaining popularity across the nation and the world as techniques and methods improve.
Yet, as with any surgical procedure there are some side effects and discomfort related to the recovery process.
With a tummy tuck, the most common issues are some swelling, redness, bruising, and pain immediately after surgery.
Another possible problem can be soreness around the incision area.
There are several ways to deal with this and manage the pain to make the healing process go smoother.
Keep It Clean Always wash your hands with soap and water before touching the incision area.
This will help keep germs and bacteria from your daily activities out of the healing skin and keep down the risk of infection.
During the first few days after surgery, your doctor may not want you to shower, so you will need to start gently cleaning the incision by hand with antibacterial soap and water with a soft wash cloth.
If your doctor has placed sealing strip bandages over the incision, she may not want you to scrub or wash the wound at all until they naturally fall off.
Your surgeon will give you specific instructions if this is the case.
When you do start taking regular showers again, it is important to be very gentle in washing the incisions.
Do not scrub them as this might aggravate the surrounding tissue and even remove scabs that are part of the healing process.
After the shower, you should again take caution to be gentle with your incisions by patting them dry, not wiping them, with a towel.
Keeping your incisions clean and free from irritation can help prevent added soreness.
Monitor the Area You should keep an eye on the progress of your incision healing to make sure no infection is taking place.
It will be normal to see some redness around the lines, but this should decrease over the next few days and weeks.
If the amount of redness increases, you have probably developed an infection and should consult your physician.
You should also watch out from any fluid leaking from the wounds, especially anything in weird colors or pus-like in consistency.
Take It Easy All sorts of normal motions will cause pressure, strain, and even pain at the site after a tummy tuck.
This includes things like coughing, laughing, sneezing, and even passing a bowel movement.
You can help alleviate the pain and keep the strain off your incisions by holding a pillow over your wounds when you do any of these things.
You should also avoid any heavy lifting for several weeks.
With proper precaution you can avoid a great deal of pain after a tummy tuck.
Soreness around the incisions is normal for a little while, but if you take all the right steps it should disappear over time.