Waist Training After Tummy Tuck

Waist training is a great way to help your body adjust to the changes that it underwent during your tummy tuck (abdominoplasty). If you are planning on getting a C-section, make sure that you have at least 6 weeks before your surgery. This will give your body enough time to heal and reduce the risk of complications during pregnancy. Waist training can help reduce the amount of excess skin in your abdomen and improve the appearance of your waist area.

At 2 months post-op, patients are typically cleared to start incorporating lightweight toning exercises into their rehabilitation routine. These exercises involve using light weights and performing high repetition movements to help build strength and endurance. By 3 months post-op, patients can progress to heavier lifting and core exercises to further enhance their muscle strength and stability. It is important for patients to follow their healthcare provider’s guidelines and progress gradually to prevent any potential injuries or setbacks in their recovery process. By gradually increasing the intensity of their workouts, patients can continue to improve their physical fitness and overall well-being following surgery.

Waist Training After Tummy Tuck

After surgery, it is important to wear a compression garment or binder that helps support your back muscles while they heal. This helps prevent strain on those muscles and makes it easier to move around after surgery.

Waist training involves wearing a corset or belt that tightens around your waistline for several hours per day over an extended period of time (usually 6 months). The pressure from wearing these garments helps reshape the underlying fat deposits underneath the skin layer so that they are redistributed into a more flattering shape. While it may seem counterintuitive, wearing a corset actually helps reduce swelling and fluid retention by compressing the tissues underneath it which forces fluid back into other areas of your abdominal cavity away from the stomach.

After liposuction, you’re going to want to keep your midsection tight and toned. A waist trainer seems like a logical solution, but can you wear a waist trainer after liposuction?

Always check with your medical provider first to confirm the best options for your specific situation. In general, yes, you can wear a waist trainer after liposuction, but there are few precautions you should consider first. Your body needs to heal after undergoing cosmetic surgery, so you’ll want to aid this process as much as possible.

Waist Trainer Post-Surgery

If all goes well with the surgery, your doctor will probably recommend compression garments to aid in the healing process. After your initial recovery, you can gradually transition to wearing a regular waist trainer as part of your everyday routine.

First Stage Post-Surgery

Immediately following liposuction, you will experience swelling around your midsection. At this stage, you may be advised to wear a gentle compression garment. The compression, or strategically placed pressure, can help keep swelling down while promoting normal tissue re-adhesion during the recovery process. Compression may also reduce pain and fluid retention, which can decrease your healing time and build-up of scar tissue.

A first stage postsurgical garment is designed to aid in this process for approximately 3 weeks following a surgery like liposuction. The First Stage Marena Suit with No Leg and Suspenders by Marena Recovery FBA is ideal for liposuction because it provides support around the whole midsection and is easy to get on and off. The bodysuit features adjustable straps, a high back and a hook-and-eye closure gusset for bathroom convenience. It is sized larger than compression garments for later stages of your recovery, ensuring your comfort during the most delicate phase.

It’s important to get a medical-grade garment for your postsurgical recovery. Marena garments are constructed to provide the ideal amount of compression to promote lymphatic stimulation and skin tightening following surgery. In comparison, most non-medical grade shapewear does not provide enough compression to result in the same skin tightness, smoothness and healing.

Second Stage Post-Surgery

Approximately 3 weeks after your liposuction surgery, you may be ready to move on to a second stage garment. Be sure to consult with your healthcare provider before moving forward.

A second stage garment is similar to a first stage garment in that it provides the same benefits of compression. The difference is that it is slightly smaller and provides more compression than a first stage garment.

The Second Stage Marena Support Girdle with No Legs by Marena Recovery LGA2 is the next step you can take with compression around your midsection. Its pull-on style is ideal for the later weeks of the recovery process. It will gently slim your midsection around 1–2 inches while you wear it.

Full Recovery: Waist Training After Liposuction

Once you have fully healed from your surgery, after about 8 weeks, talk to your healthcare provider about transitioning to a regular waist trainer. You can start out by wearing one during workouts and then gradually wear one in your everyday attire.

Wearing a waist trainer during exercise helps stimulate heat and perspiration in your core and achieve a higher intensity workout. It will be important after your recovery to work on strengthening your core and staying fit, so you feel confident in your new shape.

The Latex Workout Band Curve Creator HA101 is an ideal workout band to get started with. Its double Velcro closure allows you to fasten it to a custom fit every time, so you can tighten it the more comfortable you get with it following your surgery. Its high compression core will ensure you’re getting the most out of your workouts no matter whether you had surgery a few months ago or years ago.

You may also want to start practicing a daily waist training regimen beyond your workouts. Using an everyday waist trainer like the Best Waist Trainer by Hourglass Angel HA102 will help you achieve a slim and firm midsection and will help you stay on track with your healthy lifestyle goals.

How to Get the Best Results with Wearing a Waist Trainer after Liposuction

Following a waist training regimen after liposuction works the same way as it would with anyone, assuming you’ve already fully healed from the surgery. For the best results, we recommend the following best practices.

• First, ease your way slowly into a new waist training routine. Your body will need some time to adjust, especially after healing from surgery.
• Start by wearing a waist trainer for just an hour or two in the beginning. Then slowly add more time each day as you grow comfortable.
• You may find that you prefer to wear your waist trainer for two shorter sessions instead of one longer one during the early weeks, which is fine. You can even skip a day occasionally, just as long as you return to wearing your waist trainer the next day.
• After a few weeks, you should feel comfortable wearing your waist trainer for 8 hours a day or more. For the best results, we recommend wearing your waist trainer 8–10 hours on a daily basis.

We also highly recommend working out daily. You may prefer to wear a workout band during exercise and an everyday waist trainer for the rest of the day, so that your garments will have the opportunity to dry and retain their elasticity.

For the best results with your workouts, do a variety of strength training and cardio exercises. We find that HIIT workouts have some of the best results.

To maintain your slim figure, be sure to maintain a nutritious diet and adequate hydration. This will ensure that you’ll have adequate nutrients to build muscle tone, have great skin and boost your energy levels. Stick to whole foods as much as possible and avoid refined sugars and carbs

Waist Training: Is It Healthy?

We see waist training all over the Internet and on the Instagram feeds of the curvaceous and famous – but it sounds too good to be true. Can we really get the shape we crave simply by wearing a corset? And, if we can, is it safe?

It’s a trend – but is it a good one?

Waist training is becoming more of a trend due to celebrities taking selfies with their waist trainers on like Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Jessica Alba, and Lindsay Lohan, says Texas-based plastic surgeon Dr. Jennifer Walden.

Modest compression, such as that worn after childbearing or after surgical procedures such as tummy tuck or liposuction are not a danger, says Dr. Walden. But, it can be detrimental if the waist training is extremely and unnaturally tight, such as in the corset-wearing that we are seeing a lot of celebs do. “Wearing a waist trainer doesn’t produce real body-contouring type medical results, but perhaps makes the wearer feel more confident in certain clothes and in photos. In some instances, it can make women who are heavier have a bit more mobility and help them feel more outwardly comfortable, stand up straight, etc. The classic hourglass look/ pin-up model look is back in style, as we see with a rise in (Brazilian buttock lift) buttock enhancements and natural full breasts,” says Dr. Walden.

In the late ’90s and early 2000s women were more into the sleek athletic look — Jennifer Aniston, Angela Bassett. Now we look to Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian, Sofia Vergara, Scarlett Johansson, Nicki Minaj and Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Kate Upton. A more global beauty trend is to be full-figured, and with that often naturally comes the desire for a smaller waist (i.e. the hourglass figure).

Does it work?

“The corset itself doesn’t have any direct effect on minimizing your fat or tightening your external anatomy. If you stopped wearing a corset, eventually you’re just going to return to the way you were if you aren’t exercising and following a healthy diet,” says Dr. Walden. “It won’t make any lasting difference on your body when worn for a short amount of time. However, if you’re wearing one for days, weeks, or even months at a time, very tight corsets or waist trainers can put you at risk for other health problems such as acid reflux, compression of internal organs, swelling of legs or tissues below the waist trainer, and musculoskeletal aches and pains after long-term wear,” Dr. Walden says.

Wearing a corset won’t make you lose the fat around your waist or make the fat cells go away. “Also, the results don’t mimic those of surgery or noninvasive fat reduction treatments, as some claim. Sometimes people who wear them long-term can get a bit of a pooch or fullness in the lower abdomen/ upper pubic area,” says Dr. Walden.

Choosing a Waist Trainer

The ideal corset or waist trainer for you is one that feels comfortable and looks good, but isn’t affecting your circulation or rubbing or bruising on the hip bones, says Dr. Walden. “Post-pregnancy compression wear such as Spanx can help hold it all in when the female body feels a little like jello after giving birth. I wore one of those for a short while after gestating with twins while getting back into shape, and it helped with some comforting and clothing fit effect. It also helped make my diastasis recti (six pack muscle widening) less wide over time in conjunction with an exercise plan and physical therapy, and also helped with some of the nerve-type aches and pains that goes along with a wide diastasis recti. This was not a very tight and ornate waist trainer that some of the celebs are taking pictures in, though,” says Dr. Walden.

Other options

Liposuction is the “gold standard” for removing fat surgically and permanently, says Dr. Walden.

Alternatively, noninvasive fat reduction like Venus Legacy™, Vanquish, or CoolSculpting® are viable options for those who want modest fat reduction around the waist and skin tightening without a surgical procedure, Dr. Walden says. “For those with skin laxity, diastasis recti, and leftover fat after pregnancy, a tummy tuck may be the best option and give more of a slimmer tightened look that women who use a waist trainer or corset are seeking. In essence, an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) with rectus abdominal muscle plication (tightening) is an internal corset of sorts and can restore one as close back to a pre-baby figure as anything,” says Dr. Walden.

Given that waist trainers can be uncomfortable and don’t get rid of belly fat, consider consulting with a board-certified plastic surgeon in your area to determine if there is a better solution for you.