3 Helpful Tips For Preparing For Your Tummy Tuck Procedure

1. A medical check

A tummy tuck procedure, or abdominoplasty, may seem simple enough. We remove your excess tissue and fat, repair your muscles, and pull your skin taut. But it’s still a surgery, and we need to make sure your body is in optimal condition. To that end, we perform a complete physical review to check your current health and your medical history. We want our patients to have the most positive experience possible, so by doing a little due diligence ahead of time, we can make sure your body is ready for your procedure.

During this medical evaluation, we will review any medications or supplements you’re taking and discuss whether you should temporarily come off them before your surgery. For example, we place you under general anesthesia for your procedure, so we want to make sure you’re not taking any medications that could interfere with this.

If you’re a smoker, we’re going to ask you to quit smoking ahead of your procedure, because  smoking can greatly interfere with your body’s ability to heal itself. There are any number of reasons you should quit smoking, so let this tummy tuck procedure be the one that gets you to quit for good.

2. No crash dieting

We understand that you’re undergoing a tummy tuck procedure to get rid of flabby skin and stubborn fat deposits, but resist the urge to get a jump on the process by crash dieting beforehand. We want you to eat a healthy diet full of vitamins and nutrients that will boost your body’s ability to heal quickly after your surgery. So please don’t fast or cleanse. Instead, load up on vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins that promote great cardiovascular health.

3. Plan ahead

While we mostly perform tummy tuck procedures on an outpatient basis — which means you’re free to return home afterward — you’re still going to have to take it easy for a short while. When we send you home  — please arrange for someone to drive you — you’ll be in a compression garment, and we may place drainage tubes to help reduce swelling.

During your first few days at home, you’ll need to take care that your incision sites are clean and that you’re not placing too much stress on your abdomen. It’s hard to fully understand just how often you use your abdominal muscles until they’re taken out of action for a while. Even sitting up in bed requires abdominal effort, so plan on spending some time propped up, reading and catching up on your favorite TV shows. This period of absolute rest will give your abdomen valuable time to heal.

Once we give you the greenlight to move around a little more, you’re still going to have to avoid strenuous activities for a few weeks. To ensure that you give your body ample time to heal, it will serve you well to do a little prep work around the house to give you some quiet time after your surgery. Make sure your to-do lists are complete, and rely on family and friends for the heavy lifting while you heal.

With a little advanced preparation, you can come through your tummy tuck surgery with flying colors. To learn more about getting a tummy tuck, book an appointment online or over the phone with Polavarapu Plastic Surgery today.