A seroma can be removed by a needle aspiration, you do not need to have surgery. Seromas tend to take a long time to resolve and you may need multiple needle aspirations.
It is not very common to have one 1.5 years after surgery, however Sincerely, Martin Jugenburg, MD (Martin Jugenburg, MD, Toronto Plastic Surgeon)
Resolving an 18 month old Fluid Collection – seroma
I never encountered or heard about an 18 month Tummy Tuck seroma and would be curious to know more details such as do you have any OTHER medical history (such as previous radiation to the area)? and what was done to try and solve it.
Seromas can be resolved with serial syringe aspirations or drain placement up to a few weeks to months after the surgery.
Once that period passes, the walls are covered with smooth lining which will NOT adhere to the opposite side resulting in a chronic pocket or bursa.
At 18 months after surgery, I seriously doubt that anything short of going back surgically and feeling the wall lining and closing the pocket over drains would obliterate your seroma. (Peter A. Aldea, MD, Memphis Plastic Surgeon)
Seroma Management
As my colleagues have stated, seromas are generally succesfully managed with needle aspiration in the office and rarely warrant any further surgical intervention. If you had a large seroma, it will likely require several aspirations and continued compressive therapy. (C. Bob Basu, MD, FACS, Houston Plastic Surgeon)
Seroma more than 1 year after abdominoplasty
In addition to needle drainage (or SeromaCath drain placement) your surgeon may consider injecting a sclerosing agent (such as doxycycline) to help eliminate the seroma cavity if it continues to persist. (Karol A. Gutowski, MD, FACS, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)
Seroma after Tummy tuck.
A seroma after a tummy tuck is not unusual problem and usually responds to serial aspirations and lessens with time. Despite these measures , the fluid may persist and a collection at 18mo. post op. is unlikely to resolve spontaneously or with further aspiration.
A lining may develop around the collection, a “pseudo cyst”, and surgical removal of the entire fluid and cyst wall with subsequent obliteration of the space and drains may become necessary. (Stephen Delia, MD, Boston Plastic Surgeon)