The following is the presentation I gave at the 2018 annual meeting of the Northwest Society of Plastic Surgeons. The presentation outlines the protocol for a 24 hour rapid recovery tummy tuck.
This presentation on how to achieve a 24 hour rapid recovery tummy tuck or abdominoplasty was given to the plastic surgeons in attendance at the the Northwest Society for Plastic Surgery annual conference in February 2018. The protocol is outlined and includes how a 24-hour rapid recovery tummy tuck or abdominoplasty protocol works without the use of any post-operative narcotics.
Normally a tummy tuck recovery can be long, arduous and often painful. As a result, most plastic surgeons prescribe narcotics and use the age-old abdominoplasty recovery protocol of not moving much (rest), applying ice and using compression garments. This is the so-called RICE method for recovery. Using motion, exercise, anti-inflammatories and treatment (in the case of tummy tucks and most plastic surgery procedures treatment will be heat take the form of a hot shower) or MEAT a much faster and easier recovery for tummy tucks patients is possible without using any narcotics and avoiding many of the common complications that accompany an abdominoplasty. This is the newer physical therapy technique or protocol that is being used in sports medicine physical therapy to improve and speed recovery from injury and surgery. This technique can be used even when the rectus muscle is repairedto correct a rectus diastasis.
There are many stories of how a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty recovery goes week by week or even day by day but with the 24-hour recovery tummy tuck, many patients are back to work within days. While other abdominoplasty patients are at home recovering the rapid recovery tummy tuck patients are often back to light work outs within days and their full work out with in three to four weeks.
The benefits to MEAT over RICE in abdominoplasty or tummy tucks, include improved blood flow to the area, resulting in less pain, speedy recovery and faster complete healing for the tummy tuck patient.
This 24-hour rapid recovery totally avoids the use of narcotics for tummy tucks and abdominoplasties. There is no need for drugs like hydrocodone, Percocet and oxycodone, all of which can cause nausea and constipation. These are two things that a tummy tuck patient, especially those tummy tuck patients who has had the muscles tightened or rectus plication. It avoids the use of pain pumps. Abdominoplasty pain pumps are messy. It also uses the NO DRAIN method for tummy tucks to avoid the hassle and pain of surgical drains.
The pain meds that are used with this tummy tuck protocol are simply anti-inflammatories. They include Aleve or naproxen and Tylenol or acetaminophen. Experal, the long acting local anesthetic, is not used either.
This tummy tuck recovery protocol is designed to reduce all the complications that can occur after a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty.
This 24 hour rapid recovery tummy tuck without the use of drains or narcotics can also be applied to all other areas of cosmetic or aesthetic plastic surgery. I regularly use it for breast augmentation or breast implant placement, breast reduction, facelifts and liposuction.
