13 Weeks After Full Tummy Tuck and my Belly Looks Like Im Pregnant is This Normal? (photo)

my belly looked flat on the first weeks and then the swollen just gets worse every day and i wear my garment 24/7. I am afraid that something is wrong and its really frustrating because my dream was to have a flat belly ... and since the surgery i lost 15 pounds current weight now is 135 lb and i am 5.3.

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bulge 5 ft 0 in to 5 ft 3 in 3 months post-op 130-149 lbs

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9 Doctor Answers | Asked by Atlanta mommy

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Fullness after tummy tuck

Hello 'Atlanta mommy', thanks for your question. It is abnormal that your abdomen was flat during the first weeks, but has become increasingly swollen since then. I am not sure when your drains came out, but one possibility is a postop seroma fluid collection, especially if the drains were taken out a bit early. This can be usually managed with office drainage and compression garments. The other possibility is if your rectus muscle plication sutures have torn, leading... more

Tummy Tuck Results- Protruding Abdomen

Thank you for the question. After a tummy tuck the swelling should be improving not getting worse. There can be a number of reasons for this fullness and the best way to determine the cause would be an exam. I recommend you return to see the plastic surgeon who preformed the tummy tuck as soon as possible. It may be a seroma which is a fluid collection and can be treated with a drain. It may be from continued weakness or laxity of the abdominal muscles.

Protruding abdomen should be re checked.

I agree that your belly should not be getting more protuberant as time passes. It is normal for patients abdomens to be slightly full for the first several weeks after surgery as swelling resolves, but then the belly should be flat. Only a face to face exam could give an accurate assessment as to why your abdomen is swollen, so re check with your plastic surgeon who knows exactly what was done during surgery and knows you best.

Jeffrey M. Darrow, MD

18 reviews

Boston Plastic Surgeon

Belly looks pregnant after tummy tuck

Thank you for your question and for providing the photos. There are a variety of causes of fullness after a tummy tuck, and the only way to truly diagnose the problem would be with an actual exam. I would recommend seeing your plastic surgeon immediately to be assessed. If your belly was initially flat, one of the common causes would be fluid build up after the drains are removed, called a seroma. This is treated relatively easily and can restore the flat belly. Other possibilities... more

Swelling increasing 13 weeks post op

Your story is worrisome as the swelling should not be steadily increasing 13 weeks post op. I am concerned you have a fluid collection called a seroma. I recommend being examined by your surgeon to make sure things are okay.

3 Weeks After Full Tummy Tuck and my Belly Looks Like Im Pregnant is This Normal?

Based upon your posted side view and history seek immediate medical assistance from your surgeon. Could be fluid collection.

13 Weeks After Full Tummy Tuck and my Belly Looks Like Im Pregnant is This Normal?

No, not normal. And since this apparently looked better early on, a sign of some sort of complication. Two possibilities are most likely. Fluid collection-blood (hematoma) or serum (seroma) of which the latter seems likelier absent any marked bruising that would be expected. Breakdown of the muscle repair. The first of the two would be treated by aspiration, often more than once, and sometimes accompanied by replacing the drain. The second... more

Bulging belly after tummy tuck

This is problematic. I can think of two possibilities off hand, and both require a trip to your surgeon to evaluate. The first is a fluid collection, likely a seroma. The confounding thing about this is that you have lost so much weight. The seroma fluid has mass and will increase weight. Hopefully, if it is a seroma, it can be treated with aspiration. The second, more onerous possibility is that the suture may have broken. If the surgeon used only a... more

Swelling after tummy tuck

Hello. I would recommend you start exercising your abdominal muscles. After 13 weeks it is safe to start now. What may be the problem is that your muscles aren’t powerful enough to keep your viscera from protruding despite plication of the abdominal muscles. Jaime Perez, MD Tummy Tuck Specialist Plastic Surgery Center of Tampa