If you work in a trade, on a site, in a warehouse or anywhere that involves lifting, the figure to plan around is six weeks — not two. Desk workers return at two weeks. Physical work is a different timetable, and getting it wrong is the commonest cause of a widened scar.
The timetable for physical work
| When | What is reasonable |
|---|---|
| Weeks 1–2 | Off work. Walking only |
| Weeks 3–5 | Light duties if your employer can offer them. No lifting, no ladders, no overhead work |
| Week 6 | Return to physical work after review, at reduced load |
| Weeks 6–12 | Building back up. Heavy lifting last |
| Week 12 | Full clearance for most patients |
Dr Kumar will give you a figure for your operation and your job rather than a range. Ask for it specifically at your consultation, and ask for it in writing if your employer needs it.
Why six weeks and not less
A skin excision closes under tension. For the first six weeks the scar has very little tensile strength, and the load you put across it in that window is what determines whether it stays a fine line or stretches into a band.
Lifting engages the abdominal wall, which is exactly where the tension sits after abdominal surgery — more so where the muscle has been repaired. Overhead work does the same to an arm lift scar. This is not caution for its own sake; it is the difference between a good scar and a poor one, and it is largely within your control. Scars after skin removal surgery.
Planning it with your employer
- Get the medical certificate at your pre-operative appointment, not afterwards.
- Ask about light duties for weeks three to five. Many employers can accommodate it and it shortens the total absence.
- Be specific about restrictions — a weight limit and “no overhead work” is more useful to a supervisor than “light duties”.
- Book surgery at the start of a leave block, not the day before you are due back.
- Check income protection if you hold it, with the Medicare item number in hand. The criteria.
If you are self-employed
This is the group most likely to go back early and most likely to pay for it. Two practical points: plan the six weeks into the quote you give for the surgery, because lost income is part of the real cost; and consider whether combining procedures into one operation is better than two absences. Combining procedures.
Returning to the gym
Walking from the first few days. Lower body work from around three weeks if the abdomen was operated on. Nothing loading the operated area until six weeks, and heavy compound lifting from around twelve. If training matters to you, say so at your consultation — it affects the advice and sometimes the plan.
Common questions
I feel fine at three weeks. Can I go back? Feeling fine is not the same as being healed. The scar has little strength at three weeks.
What if my job has no light duties? Then plan on six weeks off. Better to know before you book.
Does it differ by operation? Arms and abdomen affect lifting most. Thigh surgery affects standing and walking.
Can I drive to work at two weeks? Once off strong pain relief and able to brake hard, usually yes. Time off work.
Next step
Tell Dr Kumar exactly what your job involves and ask for a figure you can take to your employer. Bring a GP referral — it is required to see Dr Kumar. Call 1300 267 726. More about body contouring for men and recovery week by week.
The initial consultation with Dr Kumar is $400, with a Medicare rebate of approximately $88 where you have a GP referral. Surgical fees are quoted individually after your consultation, in a written itemised quote.
All surgery carries risks, and individual results will vary. Read more about the risks of surgery here. A GP referral is required to see Dr Kumar.
Dr Rohit Kumar (MED0001630444) Registered medical practitioner, specialist plastic surgeon (specialist registration in surgery – plastic surgery).
