An Employee’s Tummy Tuck Journey: The Final Result

Often, the first step to plastic surgery, the consultation, is the most difficult for patients to overcome. Once the procedure has been discussed with a trusted surgeon, planning for the surgery happens pretty quickly. Here, our employee shares her hospital experience and her elation at the final results.

By the time my surgery date with Dr. Prada was here, I was more than ready! After the procedure was over, I stayed the night at the hospital, as is required for a tummy tuck. One of the biggest pieces of advice I have to offer anyone considering this is to get up out of bed and move as much as possible. While you are still in the hospital, you will have a nurse’s aid there to assist you as you gingerly make your way out of bed. The more you walk, the easier and faster you heal. When you get home from the hospital, make sure you have someone with you at first who can help you while you’re there.

The next day, when I went home, I made sure I would get up every two hours to walk. Admittedly, it is very easy to just take the pain medicine and forget to get up and move, but moving is too important to forget! While you’re on your walks around the house, you’ll glance at yourself in the mirror–even in the early days following surgery–and be shocked at how much difference you can see in your body already. Even when I still swollen, I could tell I looked so much better. It’s a great feeling!

After two weeks, I returned to work. I had my abdominal muscles tightened, which does require more downtime off work than without, but the results were definitely worth the extra time at home. I was walking slow at first, but getting around just fine. I was still wearing binder, which is a compression garment used after surgery to reduce swelling and increase comfort. Fortunately, this doesn’t show underneath clothing, it just helps “hold you in,” so to speak, as you heal.

In the “after” pictures below, I am 2 months out and still have some swelling. Most swelling subsides after 8 weeks, but minor swelling can take about 6 months to go away completely. 

I am so bikini ready! Right now I am using a scar lightener called Scar Esthetique, which our nurses here have available after surgery. I apply it twice a day to the incision site, so it will fade faster than normal.

Never before have a had a flat stomach, even before I had a child. This is an amazing, life changing experience and I could not be happier with the results! Dr. Prada did a wonderful job.

Before:

After: