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

Tummy tuck swelling after 3 months is common, but this is something that should be reported to your plastic surgeon’s office right away

Tummy tuck swelling after 3 months is pretty much a 100% occurrence after TT. It would be more useful to comment on this photo if accompanied by a pre-op view.

Although 10 days seems like an eternity to you after surgery, we as plastic surgeons consider this to still be early in the post operative period. Certainly this degree of surgery is not unusual, and if no seroma is present, the plan would be to wait this out. You will eventually mobilize this fluid. If your bowels have not been regular after surgery, this might be an area to address as well. Early post op, physical exam is actually very reliable for seroma assessment, continue to follow closely with your plastic surgeon.

There can be many causes for the bulge this soon after surgery. Swelling is one, as is fluid collection (seroma, hematoma), abdominal distention (often due to constipation from pain meds), laxity of muscle repair, and other factors.

I can’t see the opening in the incision, and the description is not enough to comment much, other than to say that most resolve without treatment

Tummy tuck surgery involves raising a flap of skin and fatty tissue off the underlying muscle. Because a lot of the veins to the flap drain inferiorly towards the groin area, they now have to be rerouted. In addition venous drainage from the flap is slowed.

The development of a fluid pocket or seroma is not unusual. If you are plastic surgeon is concerned, he may order a CT scan to visualize it or he may surgically open the area if he feels it’s necessary.

You do look pretty swollen and walking hunched over will make the stomach stick out more as well. You are pretty early in the healing process. Keep going back to you surgeon for support and give it time. I would like to see you use your abdominal binder around the clock for a good 6 weeks. It will help enhance your support. Keep in mind some people do have a degree of laxity to the abdominal muscles beneath the skin that can only be tightened to a certain extent.

Nothing looks out of the ordinary at this point. As has been mentioned, swelling is normal at this point. Your appearance is affected by not being able to stand up straight and likely some bloating. It is also very common to have a small area that is slow to heal in that long incision. Hang in there. It should get better overy the next couple of weeks.

ummy looks a little more swollen than usual but 10 days is early, and there is a big variation in how folks look at this stage – and part of any post surgery appearance will depend on how things were to start with.

An ultrasound is a simple way to clarify whether this is just swelling or a collection. If your wound is opening up then you might need to get that checked sooner – I might be a bit more concerned about that than the swelling.

Assuming this IS just swelling then it can take 3 months to really settle down to “what you see is what you get”.

I certainly wouldn’t be concerned about this swelling at this stage. The one thing that can be treated right now is a seroma and your surgeon has entertained that idea and has excluded it. Regarding the open wound, yet again it sounds like it is something that your surgeon can review next week.

I am sorry to hear about your concerns and I am glad to hear you will be seeing your plastic surgeon again soon. Like your surgeon, I would also be concerned that you have a seroma. Sometimes, the initial attempt to aspirate one can fail if the needle does not go into the correct layer where the fluid is. If the swelling if worsening, it may actually be easier for your surgeon to aspirate it at your next visit. Also, wound problems can be related to increased pressure within the tissues, or if it is a seroma, it may drain itself through a wound spot, so it is wise that you are seeing him soon.

Do not worry, after an tummy tuck is normal to have swelling and not all patients react and evolve in the same way.

The degree of swelling varies from one patient to another, some patients may have a higher degree of swelling than others because the biology of every patient is different, in general the edema may take several weeks.

The final results will begin to see after 6 weeks and can take up to 6 months due to inflammation produced by surgical trauma and the resulting decreased lymphatic drainage.

The use of ultrasound therapy and lymphatic drainage massage will be very useful in the disappearance of the edema and the definition of the hoped and desired figure.

Obviously it is difficult to tell from a picture but here are some thoughts. Yes absolutely there is a lot of swelling especially just above your incision and that will take at least 6wks to improve. Things will definitely flatten with time. That being said there is always a possibility that you have fluid build up aka Seroma and just because your doctor tried to aspirate it doesnt mean he got into the right pocket. Many times the fluid is loculated and in pockets that are missed.

Re-aspiration and even an ultra sound are possibilities. Lastly it depends on your activity level. The more active you are the more fluid you build. Also you are not standing straight yet. Once you become erect the bottom of your TT will flatten more.

Your posted photo of tummy tuck swelling after 3 months, that looks OK for 10 days out. You should expect the swelling to worsen for a while before starting to settle. In addition, your side on view appears to show a ‘global’ swelling of your tummy including your upper tummy. This may be the result of antibiotics or the pain relief tablets, which will also settle.

I also note your posture in the photo is a little slouched. This is OK for this time in your recovery, but a more upright posture should be achieved within the next few days. This change in the position of your spine will also change the results that you see in the mirror.

The opening in your incision does not sound normal though. A tight closure (which will result in a flat tummy) runs the risk of the fat and skin at the incision line dying off. Alternatively, there could be a seroma under the incision line which is causing pressure on the skin & fat. This sometimes requires a trip back to the operating room to clean it up and close it again.