If you have spent years covering up your post-baby beach body, you may be eager to jet off as soon as possible after your mummy makeover. A holiday without feeling acutely aware of your saggy breasts and a pregnant-shape to your abdomen, despite months of blood, sweat and tears in the gym – just imagine! However, before you book those flights, bear in mind that you will need to give your body time to recover. Discuss your holiday plans with your surgeon but, as a general rule, you should be able to resume normal, light activities after a fortnight and light exercise after six weeks.
What should I avoid during recovery?
During your Essex mummy makeover consultation, Mr Maisam Fazel will talk you through the process, explaining what happens during surgery and detailing the recovery. When you are sent home afterwards, you will be provided with instructions on aftercare, including which movements to avoid so as not to put stress on recovering muscles or incision wounds, and how to take care of the wounds to help them heal as discreetly. You will be advised to steer clear of swimming pools until your incision wounds are fully healed to prevent infection, and you should keep your scars covered for the first year to avoid pigmentation. While recovery time for breast lifts or breast augmentations is shorter, after a tummy tuck you will need to avoid putting undue pressure on the repairing abdominal muscles – by swimming in the sea, for example.
What can I do to speed up my recovery?
Essex cosmetic surgeon Mr Fazel advises his mummy makeover patients wear special compression garment to aid healing. Perhaps the most important piece of advice is not to rush it: by giving your body plenty of time to heal, you allow the optimal aesthetic results to be achieved – and that usually means more confidence when you do finally hit the beach.