Is it alright to eat after your tummy tuck? We always say YES. And now a scientific study backs this up.

A recent medical study has confirmed quicker recovery for people who eat soon after their tummy tuck procedure. In fact, on major surgery society now states that withholding oral intake of food in patients after abdominoplasty (“tummy tuck”) may not be necessary, and that feeding patients earlier could allow for quicker discharge after surgery. Findings from a study investigating the impact of early feeding after tummy tuck on the occurrence of postoperative nausea and vomiting is published in the May/June 2007 issue of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal, the Society’s official peer-reviewed journal. These findings are important because tummy tuck is a popular cosmetic surgical procedure. This would seem to also hold, in our experience, for when we do our Rodeo Drive Mommy Makeover procedure. This includes not only a tummy tuck, but also often a breast augmentation or breast lift and liposuction.

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is among the most disagreeable experiences associated with surgery, causing dehydration and retching, which can lead to poor wound healing, among other adverse effects. While postoperative management of patients undergoing tummy tuck has traditionally involved withholding food until patients demonstrate evidence of bowel activity, this practice requires patients to remain in the

Although the findings are promising, physicians remain cautiously optimistic about a full transition to ambulatory tummy tuck. It does not diminish some of the benefits of postoperative hospital admission. Adequate pain control, maintenance of a semi-flexed position, and patient and surgeon preference are important variables to consider when choosing between admission and discharge. We have found this to be the case for all patients, not just when we do celebrity plastic surgery.

“This study demonstrates that early feeding of tummy tuck patients may prevent the need for postoperative hospital admission for intravenous hydration—at minimum in those patients who can maintain adequate hydration with oral intake alone—and allow for faster hospital discharge,” said a plastic surgeon in New York, NY, lead author of the study. “While there may be other reasons for admission, routine postoperative admission to prevent dehydration may not be necessary. These findings could change the way we care for our postoperative plastic surgery patients, improving their comfort and safety, and saving on health care costs.” As a Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon, I have found similar results in my practice.