How to Reduce Swelling After Tummy Tuck

You can’t avoid the pain, bruises, swelling and scars after a tummy tuck in Houston as the surgery induces lots of trauma to the body.

Tips to Reduce Swelling After a Tummy Tuck

Here are 9 tips for how to diminish tummy tuck scars and reduce swelling after a tummy tuck, listed below:

1. Practicing a good wound regimen has an important part in eliminating your tummy tuck scars. This involves how you treat the wound and how you protect it from foreign materials that may cause infections. These infections in turn delay the healing process and have a larger chance of scars.
2. Do not expose the scar to sunlight as it only makes the scar darker. So it’s better to avoid tanning now.
3. Massaging the scar prevents scarring as it promotes circulation to the area which increases formation of collagen and healing. Using a moisturizer while massaging gives even better results.
4. Vitamin E is really helpful in eliminating these scars. It is an antioxidant you get from food sources like nuts, seeds and vegetable oils. Just prick a vitamin E gel tablet and apply the liquid over the scar to improve skin rejuvenation and collagen formation.
5. Applying cold compress on the area for the first 24 hours after the abdominoplasty helps reduce swelling and bruising.
6. Make sure you start walking around within the first week after your tummy tuck surgery. Though it may be uncomfortable at first, it prevents blood clot formation and promotes circulation to induce faster healing and to reduce swelling.
7. While pain medication is vital for pain relief, there are some mechanical factors that also help provide pain relief. For example, while you may feel some discomfort when you sneeze or move out of bed, guarding the incision site with both hands interlaced over it lessens the pain as it controls the site from having too much movement.
8. Sleep with your head and torso elevated on a couple of pillows for the first weeks after a tummy tuck. This not only helps you comfortably get out of bed, it also reduces discomfort by stretching your skin when you lie in bed.
9. You should never remove the compression garment your physician prescribes, unless directed by your doctor. This compression garment not only gives your body a better shape, it also prevents the accumulation of lymphatic fluid and it’s swelling on the trauma site.

If you plan to undergo a form of tummy tuck or internal corset tummy tuck, or have undergone one, these 9 tips prove very helpful at reducing most of the pain and scars associated with the surgery.

Contact us online to schedule a consultation with Dr. Mark Schusterman, an experienced plastic surgeon in Houston.