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Recovery and risks
In 36 postpartum women with diastasis, combined abdominoplasty and breast surgery improved physical function, energy, pain and self-esteem scores at 12 months, with no major complications. In 37 women given the choice, t
Recovery
In a Florida office, an elective cosmetic patient must be discharged within 24 hours of arrival, or moved to a hospital. Small tubes may be placed under the skin to drain blood or fluid, and an elastic bandage or compression garment limits swelling.[1][2]
Blood thinners are chosen by clot risk, scored with the 2005 Caprini score. In 121 abdominal contouring patients, 7 days of enoxaparin after surgery did not raise bleeding (4.9% against 3.3%), and no clots occurred.[1][2]
Drains or stitches control fluid under the skin flap. Progressive tension sutures lowered seroma compared with drains (relative risk 0.34) in 24 studies with 750 patients.[1]
In a trial of 120 patients after abdominoplasty with diastasis repair, wearing a compression garment for 1 month held the repair as well as 3 or 5 months. Longer wear slowed the clearing of swelling and the return to activity.[1]
After lipoabdominoplasty, 93.3% had numb areas of abdominal skin at 1 month, 55.0% at 6 months and 21.7% at 12 months. In 36 postpartum women, physical function, energy and self-esteem scores were higher at 12 months than before surgery.[1][2]
The muscle repair can stretch again: 40% had residual or recurrent diastasis at a mean of 64 months after absorbable sutures. A later pregnancy or a large change in weight can undo the result, and ASPS advises women planning pregnancy to wait.[1][2]
Risks
Abdominoplasty alone had a 3.1% major complication rate in 25,478 insured cases. The rate was 4.3% with a breast procedure and 4.6% with liposuction and a breast procedure. Of the complications, 31.5% were hematomas, 27.2% infections and 20.2% blood clots.[1]
In 129,007 cosmetic patients, 0.09% had a confirmed blood clot within 30 days. Combined procedures had 0.20% against 0.04% for single procedures, and combined body and breast procedures had the highest rate, 0.28%.[1]
A 2026 meta-analysis of 8 studies and 138,020 patients found combined abdominoplasty and breast surgery no riskier than abdominoplasty alone (odds ratio 0.66) but riskier than breast surgery alone (odds ratio 2.71). A 2015 to 2022 CosmetAssure analysis of 55,596 abdominoplasties found no added risk from combining after adjusting for other factors.[1][2]
In 1,753 plastic surgery cases, each added hour raised the odds of a complication by 21%. Odds were 1.6 times higher after 3.1 hours, 3.1 times after 4.5 hours and 4.7 times after 6.8 hours.[1]
In 268 combined abdomen and breast cases, 34% had a complication, mostly seroma and scars needing revision, and 13% had a revision. In 738 breast reductions, adding abdominoplasty raised total revisions (odds ratio 6.6).[1][2]
Hematoma (0.99%) and infection (0.25%) were the most common major complications in 73,608 cosmetic breast cases. One-stage augmentation mastopexy has revision rates of 8.7 to 23.2%.[1][2]
Florida's mandatory reports over 10 years listed 46 office surgery deaths. Liposuction alone or with abdominoplasty or another cosmetic procedure caused 10 deaths and 34 hospital transfers.[1]
Numb abdominal skin is near universal at first and remained in 21.7% of 60 patients at 12 months. Higher BMI, removal of Scarpa fascia and resection over 1,000 g predicted lasting numbness.[1]
How long results last
In 36 postpartum women with diastasis, combined abdominoplasty and breast surgery improved physical function, energy, pain and self-esteem scores at 12 months, with no major complications. In 37 women given the choice, the combined operation was not less safe than abdominoplasty alone and gave greater improvement in body image. Plication of the rectus sheath with nylon or PDS suture held without recurrence at 12 to 48 months in two ultrasound and CT series, while 40% had recurrence after absorbable suture at a mean of 64 months. In 100 women with stress incontinence and diastasis, incontinence scores fell after repair, from 17.2 to 6.8.[1][2][3]