Self-care instruction after ABDOMINOPLASTY (Tummy Tuck)

After undergoing an abdominoplasty, it is important to rest, maintain hygiene, eat healthy food and drinks, and engage in planned physical activity to ensure the best recovery process. Let’s explore the standard medical care instructions for post-abdominoplasty care in the following article from Worldwide Hospital.

Postoperative care

Postoperative care after tummy tuck surgery is an important stage to ensure a quick and stable recovery process and avoid any complications. Worldwide Hospital has designed a postoperative care kit for the treatment area at home, including:

Home care kit:

• Self-care instructions after surgery
• Povidine, a saline solution
• Bandages & medical gauze

Wound care instruction at home:

• Cleaning: do not let the incision come into direct contact with water in the first 4 days, clean the wound with the saline solution 2-3 times a day.
• Applying medication: apply Povidine to the incision and rinse with physiological saline solution using a dry gauze.
• Change the bandage daily.
• Avoid soaking in a bathtub, dry sauna, wet sauna, or direct showerhead onto the incision for 10 days.

Follow up appointment

Recovery process:

• The surgical area will bruise and swell initially but will significantly reduce after 2-4 weeks.
• Depending on each individual’s constitution, the recovery time can range from 4-6 weeks.

Follow-up schedule appointment with the doctor:

• Regular follow-up appointments after 7-10 days for suture removal and after 3 months, 6 months.
• If there is any difficulty breathing, chest pain, fever, swelling or redness at the incision site, confusion, loss of consciousness, pain, customer must immediately go to the hospital for examination.

Exercise

Recommended:

• Start walking early after surgery.
• Rest and relax.
• Wear a shaping garment/abdominal binder for 6 weeks to promote wound healing.
• Engage in gentle exercise: walking, yoga after 2 months, intense exercise after 3-5 months to maintain stable health and prevent future fat accumulation.
• Place a pillow under the knees when sleeping to reduce abdominal tension in the initial period.

Not recommended:

• Avoid excessive physical activity during the first 2 months.
• Limit strenuous work and lifting objects over 5kg (within 8 weeks).
• Do not ride motorcycles or drive cars (within 1 week post-procedure).
• Sleep before 11pm and get 8 hours of sleep each day for faster recovery process.

Nutrition and medication

Recommended:

• Drink at least 2 liters of water per day and additional 250ml of fruit juice to provide essential nutrients.
• Green vegetables contain a lot of fiber, fruits, and foods rich in vitamins A, C, E such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, oranges, tomatoes & grapefruits.
• Taken foods that help heal wounds quickly such as steamed/boiled lean pork, tofu, oats, cereals, etc.
• Supplement omega 3, healthy fats from salmon, tuna, etc.
• Take medication as prescribed by your doctor.

Not recommended:

• Drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes for about 5 weeks, and avoid eating foods that can cause scars and complications for about 3 months.
• Avoid foods that can cause pus and scars such as water spinach, beef, goat meat, chicken eggs, stimulants, etc.
• Avoid foods that cause inflammation and pus: chicken meat, sticky rice, seafood with shells, fruits with heat properties such as guava, jackfruit, longan, etc.
• Avoid fermented foods, such as all types of pickled foods.
• Limit foods that cause blood clotting, including hot and spicy foods, etc.

We hope that the abdominoplasty postoperative instructions shared by Worldwide Hospital will provide our customer with useful knowledge. If there is any questions, please contact us directly for more specific advice.