Preparing for a Tummy Tuck

There is a great deal of preparation that goes into any plastic surgery procedure – for both the patient and the surgeon. A tummy tuck is no exception. When you decide to meet with the North Texas Plastic Surgery team, we make sure you are fully prepared for a tummy tuck so that you can maximize your recovery.

Steps to Prepare for a Tummy Tuck

1. Goal Weight – Our tummy tuck surgeons know that your results will be best if you are as close to your goal weight as possible prior to your tummy tuck surgery. Eat healthy and exercise to help you get there!
2. Optimize nutrition – Make sure that you are eating a balanced diet with good protein intake and taking a multivitamin prior to your tummy tuck.
3. Quit Smoking, vaping, marijuana, and recreational drugs 4 weeks before and 6 weeks after the surgery. Failure to do so will RUIN your results!!!!!
4. Medications – make sure that you have reviewed your medication list with your surgeon, as some medications may need to be stopped prior to your surgery, while others are critical to take every day including the day of surgery.
5. Take Time – Plan to take 10-14 days off from work or childcare responsibilities.
6. Friends/Family – Make a schedule of who is going to be home with you to help take care of you during the first 10 days of recovery. This person needs to be physically strong enough to help you out of bed. This person needs to be capable of tough love. You may not want to walk or work the breathing machine after surgery, but they have to be able to help you. They have to clean you up, and can’t faint around incisions or body fluid.
7. Grocery Store – Make a grocery store run prior to your tummy tuck surgery. You will need healthy snacks, protein shakes, multivitamins, waters, and low sugar versions of Gatorade and/or Pedialyte.
8. Sleeping – First, get plenty of sleep in the run up to your tummy tuck. Second, you will want to arrange the proper sleeping set up for post-op. You will need either a recliner to sleep in or a bed where you can put firm pillows behind your back and under your knees to create a beach chair position.
9. Right Surgeon – Make sure that you have picked the perfect board certified or board eligible plastic surgeon to perform your tummy tuck. Make sure you have seen their work, and how aggressive they are or aren’t. Not all tummy tucks are the same!!! Don’t pay for a Ferrari and get a Honda.

If you are ready to take next steps toward a tummy tuck, we would love to speak with you! Our plastic surgeons will create 3-dimensional images of what you could look like after your tummy tuck. We can’t wait!!!