Halifax Tummy Tuck

Is it just me, or was January the longest month ever that also, somehow, just disappeared?

Anyway.

The best part of January for me was returning to the gym, followed very closely by my children returning to regularly scheduled programming with daycare and school. They thrive on routine and honestly, we are poor substitutes for their friends when it comes to having fun.

I made the decision to push my return to the gym and workouts back a bit further than the six-week timeline recommended by Dr. Bendor-Samuel for two reasons:

1. I didn’t feel ready to add more intense movement into my routine yet, and;
2. I wanted to make sure the horrors of my infection were well behind me!

I had my eight-week checkup with Dr. Bendor-Samuel on January 16th and, aside from lingering redness in my scar which we both had hoped would have faded more by now, everything was looking good! When I asked about the redness, he said he’d prefer to have seen it improved quite substantially by that point but it really comes down to time. The silicon strips (more on that at the end of the post) should help speed this along.

He advised me to wait until at least 4-6 months before incorporating any significant abdominal/core exercises and to really listen to my body as I reintroduce movements like sit-ups, crunches, etc.

I’ve been mostly following my pregnancy and post-partum core exercise regime and simply modifying or swapping out movements in class that put too much pressure on my core. Mentally, this is hard for me to do but I know it’s better for my body than rushing back in and hurting myself!

At this point in recovery, I think it’s safe to say I’ve “recovered” from the surgery itself. My scar is, as I mentioned, quite red and so I’m continuing to use the silicon strips and Bio-Oil to treat its appearance. Sometimes it feels a little stiff, so I’ve also been massaging it sometimes. I use a red light machine on the incision a couple of times a week, too.

The bulk of the healing process is now behind me, so the progress I’m seeing now can be tied to the day-to-day actions I’m implementing. Just since my return to the gym in early-mid January, I’ve noticed a huge improvement in muscle tone and my strength and endurance have bounced back to close to my pre-surgery levels. I’m alternating HIIT, treadmill (some running!) and full strength classes at OrangeTheory Fitness Dartmouth for 4-5 classes a week.

I’ve also adjusted my diet a bit with a big focus on protein. I’ve done intermittent fasting for 6+ months, but I had taken a break during recovery. It feels really good to be back at it!

I’ll have a follow up with Dr. Bendor-Samuel in a couple of months where we’ll assess my scar appearance and maybe look at treatment options if the redness hasn’t improved. In the meantime, I’m wearing silicon strips on my scar almost 24/7. I usually give my skin 12 hours to breathe every week(ish) and use Bio-Oil 2-3 times during that time, massaging the scar tissue as I apply.

What’s the deal with the strips?

This is a pretty hotly debated topic. Silicon is quite well known for its treatment of scars, but the medical jury is out on whether topical creams can really be replaced with silicon gel sheeting (SGS), which is the treatment recommendation from Dr. Bendor-Samuel.

I’ll admit, my first kick at the silicon strip can left me with badly inflamed skin and an infection so I wasn’t totally sold but, I gave it another try and worked my way up to 24/7 wear over several days and it’s been going OK. I’m not sure how much it’s changing the appearance, but I don’t think it’s hurting and I already have the products so… what’s the harm, right?

The idea behind silicon strips is pretty simple. Well-hydrated scars are better-looking scars, and the strips help seal moisture in, reduce pulling or tension on the scar, and thus help reduce redness and improve its appearance.

In theory, the newer the scar, the less time it takes to be treated. I’m planning to keep using my silicon strips until the summertime. This will give me at least 6 months of regular use! I found the strips quite wide for the size of my scar, so I actually cut them in half lengthwise and use a narrower strip! This means I can use one strip for the entire incision (one half on each side) and then I snip a bit off the ends for my vertical scar.

In my next post, I’ll share (and demo in photos) some of the core exercises I’m currently doing. Until then, stay warm!!