Possible Tummy Tuck Complications

After pregnancy or significant weight loss, you may find that you cannot attain a flat and smooth abdomen with diet and exercise alone. As you lose weight in the midsection, your skin may not be able to ‘bounce back’ and adhere to your slimmer contours. This can leave you with folds of flabby skin around the belly.

A tummy tuck could be a good choice for you. In this procedure, your plastic surgeon removes extra fat and tissue from the belly. They also may tighten the abdominal muscles that got looser during pregnancy. Then, the surgeon sutures the remaining skin, giving you a tighter, firmer belly.

This procedure goes well for most patients, but there is a small risk of complications. Please continue reading to learn more.

Blood Clots

The most dangerous tummy tuck complication is a blood clot. While this problem is rare, it’s important to be aware of the possibility. When your surgeon tightens your abdominal muscles, it may be uncomfortable for a few weeks when you cough or take a deep breath. This discomfort may cause some people to avoid physical activity, but this is a mistake.

You need to continue moving by taking a daily walk and making sure that you don’t sit around all day after the surgery. The more you sit and avoid physical activity, the greater chance that a clot can form in the lower body. If this happens, it can travel through the body in a vein and enter the heart or lungs.

Your surgeon may give you blood-thinning drugs to minimize the risk of blood clots. And remember, you should try to take a walk every day as soon as possible after the surgery. This will minimize the blood clot risk.

Numbness

When you have a major plastic surgery procedure, it temporarily damages the nerve endings in the skin. So, you can expect that your tummy tuck will cause numbness where the incision is at the bikini line. Some patients also experience numbness all over the abdomen temporarily.

In the most extreme case, you may have numbness for a few weeks or even six months to a year, but it usually resolves on its own.

Lumps

After your procedure, you may see small lumps and bumps in the abdomen. These may persist for three or four weeks until your sutures dissolve and some of the swelling goes down. Some patients may have these lumps for a few months.

If you have lumps in the abdomen after three months, you should talk to your surgeon. You may need to have liposuction to eliminate the problem.

Scarring

A tummy tuck is one of the most invasive plastic surgery procedures and requires an incision from hip to hip. The scar can be red and evident after surgery, but it will be below the bikini line so that most people won’t see it. Usually, the scar heals well and becomes thin and white after a year or so. In some cases, however, inadequate blood flow to the region can make the scar more visible.

You can increase the blood flow to the incision by not smoking and eating a healthy diet. Also, you should attend your follow-up appointments where the surgeon will check that the scar is healing well.

How To Reduce Tummy Tuck Complication Risks

 There are several ways you can reduce your risks before your tummy tuck:

• Tell your doctor before the procedure about every medication you’re on. They must know everything that you take because drugs can interact and lead to complications. Some medicines also can interfere with healing or make blood clots more likely.
• Be at a stable weight. You don’t have to be a particular weight to be a tummy tuck candidate. But you should be within 10 or 15 pounds of your goal weight before you have a tummy tuck. You shouldn’t be on a significant diet when you have surgery; results are more predictable when your weight is stable before the procedure.
• Don’t gain weight after the procedure. It’s OK to gain a few pounds, but it will undo your tummy tuck results if you gain a lot.
• Don’t smoke. Smoking complicates the healing process, so your surgeon will require you not to smoke a few weeks before and after the procedure. You also may want to take this opportunity to quit smoking completely for your general health.

Outlook

A tummy tuck is usually a safe and effective cosmetic procedure that gives you the flat and smooth abs you had before pregnancy or weight loss. If the procedure is done by a board-certified plastic surgeon, your tummy tuck should go well.

However, you should talk to your board-certified plastic surgeon about the risks and benefits of a tummy tuck so you can determine if it’s the correct procedure for you.

References:

Tummy Tuck Procedure by Dr. Aric Aghayan. (n.d.). Accessed at https://www.apresplasticsurgery.com/procedures/body/tummy-tuck-portland-or/

Tummy Tuck Safety. (n.d.). Accessed at https://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/tummy-tuck/safety

Tummy Tuck Overview. (n.d.). Accessed at https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/tummy-tuck/about/pac-20384892