Is It a Good Time for A Tummy Tuck?

Determining when the best time is to have a tummy tuck can be difficult. You may want to have one long before you’re truly ready to commit to the procedure. A tummy tuck requires several things to be successful, but there are several things you can do to prepare yourself.

Why Get a Tummy Tuck?

Even if you are relatively healthy and exercise regularly, it can sometimes be very difficult to get rid of stubborn abdominal fat. A tummy tuck can help you achieve the flat stomach you’ve been working for, and the results are usually permanent. When is the best time to get a tummy tuck?

Pregnancy

Although it isn’t absolutely necessary it’s best to feel confident that you are done having children before having a tummy tuck.  Pregnancy after a tummy tuck can stretch out all of your hard work. 

Time to Recover

A tummy tuck requires 6-8 weeks of downtime. In the first couple of weeks during your recovery, you will need someone available to help you. You will not be able to drive, lift, vacuum, or be very mobile. Someone will need to help you with your drains, as well as assist with the regular tasks of cooking and caring for children. You may be able to arrange to work from home, but for at least the first two weeks, you’ll need time off as well.

Stable Health

While a tummy tuck can help remove the stubborn fat from your abdomen, it is designed for someone who is healthy enough to undergo the surgery. That means being at or near your stable weight, being a nonsmoker, and not having any heart disease or high blood pressure that would make the surgery high risk.  In Dr. Yates office, we prefer a BMI of 28 or less for a tummy tuck.  Higher BMI patients have been shown to have higher complication rates, potentially severe.  

Full Healing Takes a Long Time

Even once you are able to resume your work and go back to normal activity, the incision from your tummy tuck will continue to heal. It can take up to a year for all of the swelling and redness to go away – and you may experience numbness around the incision for several years.

Having a tummy tuck can make an enormous difference in your self-esteem and self-confidence, but only when you go into the procedure understanding what it entails and when you are fully capable of giving your body the time it needs to heal.

To inquire about getting a tummy tuck or to schedule a consultation, please call  (801) 525-8741  We also offer secure, private, online virtual consultations.