Tummy Tuck: Prices, Photos, Reviews, Info, Q&A

The decision to use drains iis made by the plastic surgeon to help avoid seroma formation.

This does not add additional costs and reduces the risk of a known complication.

The drains are your friend and the requirement to empty them and measure the drainage is not a big deal.

If you cook and measure out fluid, then you know the idea.

This is one area in which the surgeon’s judgment should not be subject to debate. (Robert L. Kraft, MD, New York Plastic Surgeon)

Drains with Tummy Tuck?

The use of drains will vary from one surgeon to another. As long as your surgeon is a well experienced board certified plastic surgeon who can achieve the results you’re looking for, the Travel safeuse of drains (or not) should not be a primary concern.

I personally use drains for tummy tuck surgery and probably will continue to do so given the risks associated with not using drains.

I would certainly not fault surgeons who do not use drains and who can show low incidence of seromas with their patients. (Tom J. Pousti, MD, FACS, San Diego Plastic Surgeon)

No drain tummy tucks

Most surgeons use drains in an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) to prevent a seroma (fluid collection under the skin).

Using quilting sutures or using a different dissection technique might prevent the use of drains, however it does not always prevent all seroma formation.

The results and costs should be about the same with any technique. (Donna Rich, MD, Houston Plastic Surgeon)

Tummy tuck no drains

I have used both traditional drains and a technique that allows for avoiding drains, which can be irritating to patients and do not always prevent seromas anyway. Currently, I use a technique that involves progressive tension sutures that eliminate the space where fluid can accumulate.

While it does take a little longer in the operating room, the end result is that patients do not need to care for drains and have them removed and patients have very few seromas (and there is no extra charge). The other benefit is that the tension on the abdominal flap is spread out over all the tissue, so that it is not just along the incision line.

Both options are good, and I would let your surgeon decide what technique for wound closure and avoiding complications works best in his or her hands. (Michelle Spring, MD, Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon)

Drain use in Tummy Tuck Surgery

While there will not be universal agreement on this issue among surgeons, as the decision to use drains or not is essentially a personal preference, most surgeons I know and respect still believe that the likelihood of you achieving a safe and reliably lovely outcome with minimization of complications is higher if drains are placed.

In other words, it’s possible to have a tummy tuck without drains, but in order to make this safe, the operation will beed to be longer and more expensive- not worth it for most patients. The drains are no big deal – easy to manage and easy to remove at the appropriate time.

Don’t lose sight of the forrest while you stare at the trees- the goal of your tummy tuck is for you to SAFELY and SMOOTHLY achieve the BEST appearance you can.

Find a great surgeon, whose work you admire, and then go with their recommendations. (Armando Soto, MD, FACS, Orlando Plastic Surgeon)

Use of drains in a Tummy Tuck

The use of drains in a tummy tuck is contoversial. The purpose is to evacuate any fluid or blood accumulation in a large area under the skin.

This widely undermined area may also be tacked-down with sutures essentially obliterating any potential space where fluid might accumulate. Some surgeons may use drains, some may use sutures and some may use both.

A “no drain tummy tuck” does not refer to a specific technique and perhaps may be more of a marketing gimmick. Your best bet would be to choose a board-certified plastic surgeon experienced in body contouring surgery that you trust and feel comfortable with and not based on their use of drains. (Stephen Delia, MD, Boston Plastic Surgeon)