Rapid recovery depends on each individual and their threshold for pain. The abdominoplasty is more painful and takes longer to recover from than the breast surgery.
Every patient CAN NOT lift heavy objects or perform strenuous activity for 6 weeks but activities of daily living can be done at around a week. (Payman Danielpour, MD, Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon)
Pain control after mommy makeover
I certainly understand your concern – it is a lot of surgery! However, take some reassurance that this is a common operation that is generally well-tolerated with oral pain medicine.
The tummy tuck portion of the operation generally drives most of the rapid recovery and degree of pain following the operation. It is normal and common for children to be worried when they see you in surgical dressings and in a post-operative state after surgery.
It can be helpful to discuss with them before surgery what to expect to help them adjust to your rapid recovery. (Bryan Correa, MD, Houston Plastic Surgeon)
Mommy Makeover Rapid Recovery
The mommy makeover will involve surgery on the breasts as well as on your tummy. Most patients notice that their discomfort comes from the tightening of the abdominal muscles.
Although patients are sore, the use of pain pumps which infuse local anesthetic into the surgery site can help significantly with pain in the first several days after surgery.
Gradually over 10-14 days you’ll increase your activities and will resume most activities. The key after surgery is to be mindful that full healing does not take place for 6 weeks.
Patients should refrain from vigorous exercise, or lifting heavy objects for a full six weeks. This gives the sutures lines optimal time to heal so that your surgical result will be long lasting. (Austin Hayes, MD, Portland Plastic Surgeon)
Comparable to C-section
A properly performed mommy makeover by a board certified plastic surgeon with many years of experience in cosmetic surgery and thousands of patients can result in a beautiful outcome with moderate discomfort. The pain should last 2 to 4 weeks and require narcotics for comfort during that time. The procedure is done in an outpatient surgery center, and the patient can typically return to work at two weeks.
We see patients in follow-up at 1 day, 5 days, 7 days, 9 days, 14 days, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, and every year after that forever (all of this is free). Pain is moderate, though pain medicine is provided. It takes about two months before one can resume exercise. Overall, it is a safe operation with high patient satisfaction rates. (Gary Lawton, MD, FACS, San Antonio Plastic Surgeon)
You won’t be “comatose”, and generally medication helps to control discomfort. You can go back to work in about 2-3 weeks. Walk leisurely around as you recover to minimize the risk of blood clots. Don’t strain yourself by lifting anything or bending over as you recover. You can start cardio at 3-4 weeks and strength training at 6 weeks after surgery. (Jerome Edelstein, MD, Toronto Plastic Surgeon)
Mommy Makeover rapid recovery time
Combining breast procedures with a tummy tuck should not add additional time to your rapid recovery period. Combing procedures is very popular for this reason and others. You save money on OR/Anesthesia as the first hour is typically the most costly, most surgeons will offer a multiple procedure discount, and you benefit from one recovery period.
I perform an aggressive tummy tuck and recommend 3 weeks for rapid recovery for most activities and 8 weeks before you can use your abdominal muscles or core. 3 weeks is typically standard recovery for full activity in my practice with a few stipulations – if implants are placed below the muscle then we recommend 8 weeks of no lifting and as I mentioned, we recommend refraining from abdominal muscle workout for 8 weeks after a tummy tuck.
Tummy tucks have the most limitations post-operatively and it is crucial you follow your surgeons explicit instructions for the best results and minimal complications. Adding a breast procedure at the time is highly recommended as activity is already minimal and there is ample time to heal. (Alan N. Larsen, MD, Atlanta Plastic Surgeon)
It varys from patient to patient
As you may know, recovery list is different from patient to patient. The first 7 days are the worst but gradually you’ll see how pain and discomfort start fading.
So I’d say you’ll be fine by the 10-14 day. (Luis Tactuk Simo, MD, Virginia Beach Plastic Surgeon)
Recovery list will vary from patient to patient
Recovery list after any surgery will vary from patient to patient based on a number of different factors. Since a mom he make over refers to a number of different operations it will just depend on which ones are done.
Remember a mommy make over typically refers to an operation that improves the look and shape of a woman’s breasts. At the same time it also deals with contouring of the abdominal wall. The breast operations that could be done include; a breast augmentation, a breast lift, breast reduction, or breast lift with the addition of breast implants.
As far as the abdomen goes the operations could include; liposuction only, a mini tummy tuck, full tummy tuck, tummy tuck with liposuction or a lipo-abdominoplasty.
Typically the breast surgeries don’t have much more than 7-10 days of general recovery, with restrictions on high impact activities up to 6 weeks. For most of my patients they find that the breast operations are comfortable enough were more than a day or 2 of pain medicines is not necessary.
The abdominal procedures on the other hand are where most of the recovery comes from. For my tummy tuck patient’s, including those that have a Mommy make over, I typically tell them that they will need between 2 and 3 weeks of general recovery.
Again no heavy lifting or high impact activity for 6 weeks is typically recommended. If we think in terms of recovery there are multiple different aspects of it. When some people talked about recovery there is simply referring to how they will feel.
Pain, discomfort, tightness, are all aspects of this form of the recovery, So for each one of these it’ll vary from patient to patient. Another aspect of recovery is returned to physical activity. In this aspect of recovery it is more depend on a physiologic response which does not vary as much from patient to patient. In a normal patient who is not diabetic, protein malnourished, a smoker, or on steroids, they can expect 50% of the strength of a healing wound to be there by 6 weeks.
Therefore a lot of the restrictions that I recommend to patient’s postoperatively are removed by 6 weeks. In the final kind of healing I talked by patient’s about it when they will feel normal.
For most patients this could take up to 12 weeks. With the exception of numbness that can happen in the operative fields were this kind of recovery could really take between 15 and 18 months. (John Mancoll, MD)
Extreme pain is very unusual
You can anticipate discomfort after surgery, but it is rare for the discomfort to be extreme. Most patients experience the greatest discomfort in the first few days after surgery. The experience in this timeframe can be improved by the use of a long-acting local anesthetic, Exparel, that works to reduce pain transmission from the most uncomfortable areas during this timeframe.
Narcotic and non-narcotic pain medications are effective in making your discomfort tolerable, but do not make you incoherent. It is important to communicate with your surgeon to acheive the best experience in the post-op period. (Emily A. Williams, MD, Spokane Plastic Surgeon)
You definitely should have help the first week. After that you should feel well enough for your normal activities but depending on your work another week maybe necessary. The use of the medication Exparel has really help our patients in the recovery list with the need for less pain medicine. This a voidness being less groggy, having more energy and having less problems with constipation. (Robert Whitfield, MD, FACS, Austin Plastic Surgeon)
Recovery list after mommy makeover
You should be up and walking, eating and drinking on the day of surgery. You may feel a bit groggy after the anaesthetic but the pain is usually not a big issue on day 1.
By virtue of the fact it is a mummy makeover, you probably hve children at home, which is a good reason to spend the first night in hospital. There will be some discomfort over the next few days but within one week, you should be pretty functional.
I advise patients to avoid lifting more than 10lbs for the first 4 weeks. But by 6 weeks, you should be able to do everything you were doing before the operation. The good news is that the recovery from both breast and tummy tuck procedures together is not too different from having just the one operation i.e it doesn’t take twice as long to get over the operation. (William Townley, MD, FRCS(Plast), London Plastic Surgeon)
Mommy Makeover Recovery list and Tips in Los Angeles
Mommy Makeover Recovery Times varies depeding on a patient’s age, body frame, and the help that is available to them.
Most of my plastic surgery patients who have had a combination of tummy tuck and breast lift surgery take two to three weeks to recover.
Having enough help at home helps to make the recovery easy. Also taking Arnica and Bromaline food supplements help. (S. Sean Younai, MD, FACS, Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon)
Cosmetic Surgery is an Art and a Science
Everyone recovers differently all depending on how much surgery is performed. For tummy tucks I advise 7-10 days recovery. You can have the kids on your lap, but don’t bend over to pick them up.
The tummy tuck. makeovers, in my experience, are easier to recover from than a c- sxn.
Take some pain meds when you need them. Most patients can drive back to the office 1 week post op. (Thomas A. Narsete, MD, Greenwood Village Plastic Surgeon)
The recovery time for a mommy makeover, which may include a breast augmentation and/or breastlift and a tummy tuck, is approximately 3 weeks.
One will need to have home care, someone to assist you for at least two weeks as one cannot lift anything over 10 pounds until you’re 3 weeks post op. (Rod J. Rohrich, MD, Dallas Plastic Surgeon)
Recovery list with Mommy Makeover: Breast Augmentation and Lift and Tummy Tuck
Recovery from a breast lift and augmentation and tummy tuck should entail 1 week of light activity off from work. After 1 to 2 weeks, many patients can return to work.
I recommend resuming more strenuous activity in about 6 weeks. It is critical that the scars obtain near maximal strength prior to stressing them. Near maximal strength is achieved at about 6 weeks. Find the board certified plastic surgeon with ELITE CREDENTIALS who has performed hundreds of mommy makeovers. (Kenneth B. Hughes, MD, Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon)
The pain should certainly be bearable and easily managed with NSAIDs and mild to moderate pain meds. Most women say that it did not hurt as much as their C-section. I use a lot of numbing medicine during the surgery, so you don’t wake up in bad pain. That way your body isn’t suddenly faced with pain that it can’t get used to. I would recommend letting your husband do most of the work during the first week, though you should be coherent enough to “delegate” to the kids and keep an eye on things.
You should be able to move around the house carefully and slowly. You just won’t be in any great mood! by the end of a week you will be feeling much better and looking forward to the “new you”. (Ronald Schuster, MD, Baltimore Plastic Surgeon)
What does Mommy Makeover Recovery entail?
Mommy Makeover generally entails 3 areas of concern.
- Breasts – generally addressed with a breast lift, augmentation or both.
- Tummy – most often a full-tummy tuck is indicated.
- Contour – improving the contour of the flanks, back and thighs may be addressed at the same time with liposuction.
The breast surgery is generally not any more uncomfortable if you have breast augmentation alone or breast lift and augmentation at the same time. The breast augmentation portion of the surgery is slightly more uncomfortable than the breast lift portion of the surgery. Use of long-acting local anesthetic at the time of surgery significantly decreases the postoperative pain you might feel. your job after surgery is to avoid over use of your arms by avoiding reaching out or reaching above your head. As a rule, keeping your elbows by your side does not allow you to “over-do it”
A tummy tuck, while not a bigger surgery than a C-section, is done at a time that you are not benefiting from a surge of maternal hormones, like you would be right after giving birth. Most patients feel tightness of the tummy after a tummy tuck and will need some medication to alleviate the initial pain. This sensation of tightness improves quickly over a few weeks. Most patients are able to stand straight within one week, be completely off pain medication within 7-10 days, drive within two weeks, and go back to work in 2-3 weeks if they have a non-physically demanding job.
You may resume all exercise, without restrictions, 6 weeks after surgery. The tummy tuck procedure can be significantly more comfortable for the patient when performed without drains.
Contouring of the flanks, back and/or the thighs at the time of Mommy Makeover can make an astounding difference in the overall body contour.
While it tends to not add significantly to the recovery list, it does require the surgeon to be vigilant in limiting the amount of liposuction when in combination with the other procedures. This will help in planning of a safe operation. (Ramin Behmand, MD, San Francisco Plastic Surgeon)