Any patient that is recovering from a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) will heal at his or her own pace. However, there are specific risks that are higher in tummy tuck patients than in others. This can include tummy tuck scars that may add to the cosmetic surgery costs by requiring additional plastic surgery to reduce the visibility of these scars.
Young patients, in general, are better candidates for tummy tuck procedures since the elasticity of their skin will reduce the chances of tummy tuck scars occurring afterwards. The tenderness, bruising, pain and swelling that is usually experienced by most patients, to some degree, will usually pass in a four to six week period.
A “slow healer” will require further care from the doctor in order to reduce the appearance of tummy tuck scars resulting from the surgical tummy tuck procedure. In more rare cases, some skin areas may actually undergo a very rapid recovery while slow to heal areas may die and have to be replaced with a skin graft.
In additional to the actual pain associated in these instances of adverse reaction to a tummy tuck procedure, tummy tuck scars will be more prominent. A surgical revision is usually offered as an opinion to patients who are dissatisfied with their tummy tuck surgery results. This is most commonly indicated in situations involving slow healing. There are many factors that can lead to slow healing, as well.
There has been an established link between slow healing and tummy tuck scars and cigarette smoking. This is why doctors will recommend that a tummy tuck procedure patient refrain from smoking, prior to surgery.
It is therefore imperative that a tummy tuck surgery patient follow the doctor’s instructions to reduce the possibility of tummy tuck scars.
