Dr. Hochstein is well known throughout the world for his Breast Augmentations, Breast Lifts, Breast Reductions and Breast Revisions. What most people do not know is that his second most popular surgery is the Tummy Tuck, this is partially due to the fact that women that come into Dr. H's office seeking Breast Lifts due to pregnancy or weight loss will usually need a tummy tuck as well. A breast lift combined with a tummy tuck is an amazing transformation! Patients are usually very satisfied with the joint procedure because it delivers results that could not be achieved by dieting and exercising alone.
Tummy tucks, out of all the procedures performed by a plastic surgeon, can be one of the hardest ones to recover from. This is due the fact that it affects mobility and the amount of time that will take to recover and the post operative care that it demands.
Because abdominoplasty involves the removal of extra abdominal skin and usually the tightening of abdominal muscles you will experience some difficulty standing up straight for a few weeks which can cause strain on the lower back and compromise daily activities, like getting out of bed and going to the bathroom. The tightness will gradually disappear as you heal and progressively use your body muscles for activities to daily living. It is important to make no special attempt to stretch or pull the abdominal strengh during the two first weeks of healing, but it is very important to change your position and walk around the house every few hours to reduce the chance of blood cloths. Dr. Hochstein places one or two drains into the surgical area at the time of surgery, these drains evacuate the fluid that accumulates after surgery and enable you to heal faster. Because you must keep your body at a bent position for the first couple of weeks, sleeping can become difficult at best! We recommend if possible the use of a recliner which can make it not only easier to fall asleep in a V position, but facilitate getting up and down. At our office all details about post operative care are given in written in a pre / post care packet and explained by a registered nurse the day of surgery.
With breast augmentation and other procedures mobility is not so compromised. To make this process easier for the patient, Dr. Hoschstein uses a pain pump to control pain. The pain pump is very effective in reducing the initial pain in the surgical site. Most of our patients are very surprised to find out they have little to no pain coming from the tummy area. The pain pump has an uninterrupted flow of analgesia for up to 6 days, which can greatly reduce the intake of narcotics.
Although the tummy tuck may take a little more time to heal, it is by far the most gratifying procedure. When patients come to this office they know this is a last resort. They have usually tried working out and dieting and are now left with stretched out saggy stomachs that can only be improved by the skillful hands of a plastic surgeon. So you have two choices, either run around complaining about your saggy tummy and hiding it with couture tunics... or give yourself a break, stop starving and have a tummy tuck.
