Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) recovery: what to expect week by week

The headline figure in NHS guidance is about six weeks. The NHS tummy tuck page says you will need to take about 4 to 6 weeks off work and exercise, and that it takes about 6 weeks to fully recover and see the full effect of the operation. After 6 weeks you will usually be able to stop wearing a corset and may return to most of your usual activities.

BAPRAS, the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons, gives a similar picture: patients are mobile from day one and should be back to full exercise within six weeks, and are recommended to take at least four weeks off work. It adds that these timings are approximate, depend on exactly what is done, and that some people recover quicker than others. Hull University Teaching Hospitals suggests about 4 weeks away from work, longer if the job is physical or involves heavy lifting, with your doctor or nurse advising at the outpatient appointment.

These figures describe the main recovery. Swelling, altered sensation and scar maturing continue for much longer, and the sections below separate what to expect early from what takes months.

The NHS says a tummy tuck is usually done under a general anaesthetic, can take between 2 and 5 hours, and that most people need to stay in hospital for a few nights. BAPRAS says a full abdominoplasty can require two or three days in hospital, with dressings on your tummy and usually some drains, which are usually removed before you go home.

You will probably be in some pain after waking up, and painkillers can be provided. BAPRAS describes post-operative pain in these procedures as easily controlled. Hull University Teaching Hospitals says to expect a moderate amount of pain, which can be eased by keeping your hips bent slightly when you are in bed and by walking slightly stooped, gradually straightening up as the abdomen becomes less tight.

You will leave hospital with dressings and a pressure garment (corset) or tummy-control pants. The NHS says someone will need to drive you home and stay with you for the following 24 hours. In bed, it advises keeping your knees bent to avoid putting strain on your stitches.

Rest and gentle movement are the themes. The Hull leaflet says that when you go home it is important to rest, that you will need someone else to do the domestic chores, and that you should avoid strenuous activities, exercise and heavy lifting (including lifting children) for at least 6 weeks. Dressings should be kept clean, dry and undisturbed, and perfumed products should not be used near the wound.

The NHS says to expect difficulty standing up straight, because it may feel as though the tummy is being pulled, and that this will improve over time. It also lists pain and bruising, numbness in the tummy for a few months to years, and a temporary fluid-filled swelling above the scar among the common effects.

On stitches, the Hull leaflet says the stitches used to close the wound are usually dissolving, that occasionally stitches around the belly button need removing 7 to 14 days after surgery, and that internal dissolving stitches usually dissolve within 10 to 12 weeks but can occasionally come to the surface sooner. BAPRAS says most surgeons use mostly dissolving stitches, but some might need to be removed.

A follow-up appointment is usual. The NHS says that after a few weeks you will probably be asked to attend to make sure the wound is healing properly.

On work, the NHS and BAPRAS both land on about four weeks as the least time off. The Hull leaflet says you can self-certify for the first week and then need a fit note from your own doctor or the doctor on the ward.

On driving, the NHS says you will not be able to drive for a few weeks and that your surgeon and insurance company can advise. It does not give a number, so ask your surgeon and your insurer rather than rely on a date.

On exercise, BAPRAS says patients should be back to full exercise within six weeks. The Hull leaflet says there is no reason you cannot begin swimming, other exercise and sexual relations once your scars are fully healed, although you should check with your doctor or nurse at your outpatient appointment.

A tummy tuck leaves a scar across the lower tummy and, with a full abdominoplasty, a scar around the belly button, according to the NHS. BAPRAS says scars tend to be quite red and raised in the first six weeks, change over the next six months or so, and then fade to white, and that most people form good-quality scars although occasionally some get red lumpy scars that do not improve.

The Hull leaflet advises protecting your scars from the sun for the first 12 months with sun block or clothing, because until the scars have matured they will burn very easily. BAPRAS says that all patients can expect alteration in the feeling of the lower abdomen which is usually permanent, whereas the NHS describes numbness lasting for a few months to years.

The two sources are not identical on sensation, which is a sensible thing to raise at consultation: ask what proportion of people have lasting changes in feeling and how it is usually described.

The NHS lists thick or obvious scars, bulges under the skin, extra skin at the edges of the scar ('dog ears'), wounds failing to heal, a collection of fluid or blood under the skin, numbness or pain, breathing problems and, as for any operation, bleeding, blood clots, infection and an allergic reaction to the anaesthetic. BAPRAS adds that bleeding immediately after the operation can mean a return to theatre, that fluid collections are drained with a needle in the outpatient clinic, and that blood clots in the legs and lungs are a risk, with clots in the lungs being potentially serious.

The Hull leaflet says to contact the ward if you have any bleeding other than oozing, swelling or discharge, and the NHS says to contact the clinic where the operation was done as soon as possible if you have severe pain or unexpected symptoms. It also says that if you are unhappy with the result, you should take it up with your surgeon, and that concerns about care can be raised with the Care Quality Commission.

Both the NHS and BAPRAS stress that an abdominoplasty is major surgery and not a weight-loss procedure, so recovery is easier for people who are fit and close to their ideal weight.