Tummy tuck results last – when do you see them, and how long do they last?

If you’re considering having a tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty surgery, you should know what to expect in terms of when you’ll see results and how long they’ll last.

Tummy tuck results aren’t immediate:

In the first few weeks after surgery you will have swelling and bruising. The actually amount of swelling you have varies from person-to-person. Two factors may impact the amount of swelling you have:

• If you’ve had liposuction over your abdomen in the past, it’s common to have more swelling after a tummy tuck.
• Removing a larger amount of skin will affect the amount of swelling as well. So someone having skin removal after massive weight loss will likely have more swelling than someone having just a small amount of excess skin removed.

Most of the swelling will resolve after the first month. But it takes quite a while to completely go away. I tell patients to expect 90% of the swelling will be gone after three months. But it may be six months before the swelling completely resolves, and you see your final results.

As the swelling goes down the skin will relax a tiny bit. So your final result may not be quite as tight and flat as it was at a month out from surgery. This is part of the natural healing process, and is completely normal.

Long term results:

Our bodies naturally change over time, and this can affect tummy tuck results. If you lose more than 15-20 pounds after having a tummy tuck you may notice some loose skin. In contrast, if you gain weight it will stretch out your abdominal muscles and the skin. Consequently, you may have loose skin once you lose the weight

It’s best to wait to have tummy tuck surgery until you are finished having children. This is because pregnancy will stretch the abdominal muscles and skin back out as well. Things may shrink back up to some degree, but you’ll definitely undo some of what the tummy tuck accomplished

What if your weight is stable and you don’t get pregnant?

Even if you maintain a stable weight and don’t become pregnant, you will still see your tummy tuck results change over time. Skin still loses elasticity as we age, so you won’t have a perfectly flat tummy forever. But you will always have a flatter tummy than you would have without surgery. It’s also really common for women to get a little stubborn fat around the mid-section due to hormonal changes that occur around the time of menopause. Both liposuction or CoolSculpting are very effective treatments for this stubborn fat.