Tummy Tuck for Pound Ridge, NY

Recovering in your own house

A tummy tuck at Bellava does not involve a hospital ward. The operation takes two to five hours under general anesthesia, depending on the technique, in Bellava’s Joint Commission–accredited suite at 182 Route 117 Bypass Road in Bedford Hills, and you go home afterwards. From there to the Pound Ridge Town House is roughly nine miles, about 19 minutes without traffic by Harris Road, Route 22 and Route 172. So almost all of the recovery happens at home, and the first two weeks go best when they are set up before surgery day.

Getting the house ready

• A responsible adult to bring you home and stay with you for the first 24 to 48 hours, and someone on hand for the days after that.
• Prescriptions collected beforehand, so nobody has to go out for them once you are home.
• A recovery spot set up in advance, with the things you use every day within easy reach.
• No cigarettes for several weeks ahead of time, and no aspirin, anti-inflammatories or supplements Dr. Kim asks you to stop, since they slow healing or raise the risk of bleeding.

The first fortnight

• Days one and two. Rest, take the pain medication you were prescribed, and keep the compression garment on at all times.
• The rest of the first week. Short, gentle walks are encouraged. You move and sit slightly flexed at the waist while the muscle repair beneath settles.
• Seven to ten days. If drains were placed, they come out at the office in Bedford Hills. You will not be driving yet, so arrange a ride for that visit too.
• Through week two. Swelling peaks and then starts to ease. Most people manage work from home, and there is a follow-up with Dr. Kim.
• Around two weeks. Driving and light, low-intensity work return for most patients; desk work usually by two to three weeks.

Harder exercise and heavy lifting come back at about six weeks, once Dr. Kim has cleared you, and the final shape shows as the last of the swelling settles over three to six months.

Your surgeon

Your operation is done by Dr. Chang Soo Kim, who has more than 500 tummy tucks to his name. He is a graduate of the Yale School of Medicine, trained in plastic surgery at Yale–New Haven Hospital, and holds American Board of Plastic Surgery certification. Post-operative visits and garment fittings are handled by his own team, in the building where you had surgery.

Pound Ridge patients ask

Is the quote all-inclusive? Bellava’s surgical fee covers the surgeon, the anesthesia and the facility together, and financing is available.

Is a tummy tuck a way to lose weight? No. It removes loose skin and repairs separated muscles, and it suits people at or near their goal weight.

How do I begin? With a free, private consultation. It is requested rather than booked online: send a request, call or text, and Bellava’s patient coordinator contacts you to arrange it. The main tummy tuck page and Dr. Kim’s results are good preparation.