Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Blog

Today is a good day. I am seeing post operative patients today and I just saw a very nice young lady whose life I have changed and it makes realize why I like my job. This young woman is two months post op belt lipectomy and breast augmentation. She had lost over 140 pounds after undergoing bariatric surgery. Today she has a bright smile and a wonderful new figure and waistline. She gave me a big hug a let me know how much I had changed her life. My profession is so much fun and rewarding when I have patients like her (see testimonial below).

"I have had a wonderful experience from my initial consultation through the surgery and recovery process. I am thoroughly satisfied and impressed with Dr. Linderman and his staff." H.H.

When can I be in the sun after breast augmentation?


It is my policy to place very few limits on sun exposure following breast augmentation. I tell my patients that they may go to a tanning booth two weeks after surgery as long as their breasts are covered. Swimming is allowed two weeks after surgery. For full exposure to the sun without coverage, I recommend patients wait four weeks. Following breast augmentation, some patients may have some areas of decreased sensation which is temporary. Because of this, they are at an increased risk of suffering sun burn and this is why I prefer coverage for about a month. The sutures that are used are dissolvable and patients can go swimming quite soon.

I am often asked what is the recovery period following breast augmentation. This will vary from patient to patient as well as the physical demands placed on them in the home or office place. With the "soft touch" technique that I employ, it is not uncommon for some patients to go out the day after surgery. Much of the discomfort that patient's experience post operatively is due to inactivity and muscle spasm. By beginning stretching exercises in the recovery room, stiffness of the chest wall muscles can be greatly reduced and pain decreased. My technique uses electrocautery dissection with minimal tissue stretching to prevent trauma and bleeding thus reducing postop pain. Patients are instructed to shower after surgery and to return to their activities as soon as possible. Most patients that have surgery on Friday can be back at work on Monday.

This is one of the recurring questions about tummy tucks. In the past, a tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty was done as a multi-stage procedure. Nowadays, this is, in general, no longer the case. Using the most advanced techniques available, Dr. Linderman can in most cases get great cosmetic results with only one surgery. In fact, far more often than multiple surgeries being required to conduct a tummy tuck, it is possible to conduct multiple procedures during the same operation, if you are in good health and the tummy tuck required is not too extreme.

Of course, if you have a very large amount of tissue to be removed, and your abdominal muscles are very slack, Dr. Linderman may recommend conducting the abdominoplasty in multiple stages for safety's sake. Contact us today for an initial consultation during which Dr. Linderman will consider your health and body type to make an individualized recommendation.