Q: Unbalanced Look After Tummy Tuck and Lipo
I had a tummy tuck with muscle repair and lipo of flanks 2 weeks ago.Under my ribs the flanks are slim but my lower Flanks (hips?) are huge, I look strange. What can I do? Did he not lipo enough? The area is soft and mushy also.
A: Post Surgical Results need time to show the results
At this point, 2 weeks following abdominoplasty & liposuction, you can expect to have ongoing swelling and limited contraction of the skin in the treated areas. The swelling will not be able to drain adequately as the entire lower abdominal wall flap has been cut and your body has not reestablished the lymphatic drainage yet. My recommendation is to wear your abdominal garment ( I like Design Veronique as they have very uniform compression with an opening to go to the bathroom) as much as possible for 6 weeks to 3 months ( which ever your doctor recommends). This will help to eliminate the dead space, reduce swelling and help the tissue to adhere down and contract uniformly. You will see the worst of the best at 6 months. The body lays down internal reactive tissue to help the healing and scarring of the operated areas in the 1st 6 weeks and then takes a break for 6 weeks, so between 3 months & 6 months you will see improvements in shape, decreased edema formation etc. It takes a full year to see the final result. I recommend you focus on eating lots of protein and let the tissue contract and try not to judge the result or expect marked change for 3 months post op. Your body takes time to induce the contraction of the tissue. If you still feel that things are just not right at 8-12 months, consider revision with your doctor.