A tummy tuck causes scarring in the abdomen. The scar will form at the incision sites. The size of the scar depends on how much extra skin the surgeon removes. A shorter procedure, such as a mini-tummy tuck, usually results in a smaller scar.
The surgeon will explain where you may have scars and offer tips for minimizing scarring after the procedure. During surgery, the plastic surgeon will make incisions in areas of the body that you can easily hide with clothing or in an area where they are less noticeable. The scars will go away over time, but some may become wider. Contact a medical professional if you notice complications or experience severe pain, bleeding, or swelling.
The most common complications seen after a tummy tuck are seromas, delayed or poor wound healing, bruising, and postoperative bleeding. Less commonly, some patients may experience skin or fat necrosis. Even more rarely, some patients may develop deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which is a major complication requiring serious medical attention. Like any other type of major surgery, tummy tuck poses a risk of bleeding, infection and an adverse reaction to anesthesia.
During a typical tummy tuck, the plastic surgeon makes incisions to remove most of the skin and fat between the navel and pubic hair in a horizontal oval or elliptical shape. Abdominoplasty can also remove stretch marks and excess skin in the lower abdomen, below the navel. In addition, if you plan to expand your family, your surgeon will recommend that you postpone your tummy tuck. A directly proportional relationship was observed between the weight of the resected tissue and the occurrence of general complications (P=0.0), and the presence of comorbidities increased the incidence of minor (P=0.0) and major (P=0.0) complications.
Approximately 4% of tummy tuck patients experience some type of medical complication after surgery. If you have had fat removed from your abdomen (liposuction), you may decide to have a tummy tuck, since liposuction removes the tissue that is just under the skin and the fat, but not the excess skin. Patients who undergo a tummy tuck should be aware of the common complication rates, as well as possible complications, including serious complications from this surgery. Don't let the nice-sounding name fool you; so-called tummy tuck is a serious surgery that is known to causes complications.
After a tummy tuck, the abdominal incision and navel are likely to be covered with a surgical bandage. The results of a tummy tuck are permanent, but changes in weight can affect the outcome of the procedure over time. After a tummy tuck, redness, swelling, warmth, pain, and discharge or discharge from the incision site may indicate an infection. You may choose to have a tummy tuck if you have excess fat or skin around the navel area or if you have a weak lower abdominal wall. After your tummy tuck, you'll wear a supportive abdominal garment (abdominal bandage) for about six weeks.
During a tummy tuck, you'll be under general anesthesia, making you completely unconscious and unable to feel pain. If you've had a C-section before, the plastic surgeon may incorporate the existing C-section scar into the scar of the abdominoplasty.
