I get asked a lot what the risks are going to be. Most of the risks are pretty well known-

I get asked a lot what the risks are going to be. Most of the risks are pretty well known- pain. There's a hundred percent chance of pain. It's not terrible, but it is uncomfortable, particularly in the first two days. Prescription pain medications will make it better but it's not going to go away completely. After the first two days we switch you back to a different medication that will help you with inflammation as well. Bleeding, there's going to be some bleeding, not very much. There's going to be bruising, there's going to be some drains that will have a little bloody fluid in them, those come out after about five to seven days. Infection is always a chance, but we give you antibiotics to minimize that risk. Numbness, from the belly button down to the tummy tuck scar or a c section scar would be, there's going to be some sensation changes. If you've had a c section you already know what I'm talking about. That sensation will get better, but it may never go completely back to the way that it used to be. Symmetry, you've got a right side of your body and a left side of your body, I work very hard to make sure both of those are as symmetrical as possible. You are going to pay more attention to your body after this surgery than you ever have in your entire life. You're going to see little differences that nobody else will see. You're going to come into my office and we'll look at them together but in the short term I'm not going to do anything. If after a reasonable amount of time things aren't where we want them to be we can talk about a touch up, which is about three percent of the time. Risks of blood clots do exist but they're very very low. We'll give you medicines to minimize the chances as well as leg squeezers or leg massages to minimize that risk. Any individual that has a history of heart problems or lung problems or other health problems, we always encourage to have a work up with their primary care physician or a cardiologist pre-operatively.