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Did Tummy Tuck Fail? (photo)

im five weeks post op. from full tummy tuck. i had a five inch gap in my muscles. my stomach never looked flat after the surgery. its always had a bulge. is this my final result.

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bulge muscle separation 1 month post-op

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16 Doctor Answers | Asked by tiffhmm

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Excess intraabdominal fat ruins a tummy tuck

The preop photo appears to show a significant amount of excess intraabdominal fat. This will put substantial outward pressure on the muscle repair and prevent you from ever having a flat abdomen. I'd revisit this with your doctor and if that is the case, a proper weight loss program is needed because the fat inside the abdoment cannot be removed surgically.

Tummy Tuck Results Five Weeks Post-Op

It is very difficult to judge the success or failure of your tummy tuck without having the opportunity to see your pre-op appearance. If you are concerned that your stomach is not flat enough, I would ask your doctor what he/she found on the inside. It may be that this is as flat as is physically possible given the fat that you have around your intestines or the strength of your tissue. Good luck.

Tummy tuck failure?

I would need preop photos to compare to make a decision. You may have excess intra abdominal fat preventing a flat tummy. Donald R. Nunn MD Atlanta Plastic Surgeon.

Donald Nunn, MD, DDS

3 reviews

Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

Tummy tuck disappointment

It is very hard to know if this is a good or bad result without details of the surgery and the Preop photos. Wait three months and diet aggressively to see final outcome. If you are still concerned consult your board certified plastic surgeon who will usually stand behind the work and revise if necessary. Best

Cannot tell if tummy tuck failed

I cannot tell from your photos if your tummy tuck has "failed" without seeing the preop photos. If your stomach never looked flat, then it was not likely an issue of the tightening that failed. Actually feeling your belly and determining how thick your fat layer is also needed to fully determine why you are not happy with your tummy tuck. It seems as though that you are still swollen, which is common at 5 weeks. It also seems as though you have a fair amount of... more

Did Tummy Tuck Fail?

It is not easy or fair to assess the outcome using post-op photos only--pre-op photos would add a lot to the on line evaluators. There are a number of possibilities that could explain the persistent bulge that is present. Excess intra-abdominal tissue Swelling Fluid collection-blood or serum Loose abdominal wall, either from not doing a repair, not tightening enough, or failure of the repair. From the photos, I don't see much going along... more

Did Tummy Tuck Fail

It appears as your muscle was not done or failed as seen in the posted photos. Please seek in person opinions from boarded PSS in your city.

Flattening Effect From A Tummy Tuck Affected By Skin Flap And Intraperitoneal Fat Volumes

As a general statement, tummy tucks do not fail. It is more of a question of how much improvement is obtained particularly in regards to the degree of flattening. It is not possible to look at your result now and pass judgment on the result without seeing what you looked like before surgery. Some patients are never going to get a flat stomach from a tummy tuck regardless of how much the muscles are tightened because of their initial amount of intraperitoneal fat and the... more

Source of abdominal fullness after tummy tuck

Hello, Thank your for the question and photos. There are a handful of potential sources for abdominal fullness after a tummy tuck including excess fat, loose abdominal wall, seroma, hematoma, pseudobursa, etc. Since you report that your abdomen was never flat after surgery I suspect that your abdominal wall and or excess fat is the source of the fullness. Since you are at 5 weeks I would give it more time for your body to heal before you re-assess the need for a... more

"Failed" tummy tuck can be due to a number of causes.

At five weeks post-op, you should be on the downhill side of recovery, but far from complete. It does take a full 6-12 months to see your "final" result, and of course, it does depend on your continuing with good diet and exercise habits as you heal. Your abdominal bulge at this point is partially due to swelling, but if your muscles were NOT plicated (repaired, tightened), OR if you have significant residual intra-abdominal fat, and IF there is still significant subcutaneous fat, OR any... more

Why Is My Abdomen Bulging 5 Weeks After A FTT?

Five weeks after a full tummy tuck, you should be seeing the excellent results of the removal of excess skin and muscle tightening. When you have a bulge such as the one that your picture shows, there are several possible explanations. 1. You have significant soft tissue swelling which should clear itself over the next couple of months. 2. You may have a lot of subcutaneous fat which can be liposuctioned out at a second surgery. 3. The muscle repair failed... more

"Failed" Tummy tuck?

Your photographs are suggestive of the muscles not being tightened (plicated) as much as they could have BUT in the absence of a critical excamination of your tummy and your BEFORE pictures it is impossible to say with certainty. A similar image may be seen with women who have a significant amount of fat under ther skin. In such cases, the muscles are tightened, but the fat remains giving a less than perfect result.

Tummy Tuck Results

When it comes to results from a tummy tuck, one of the most important predictors is the pre-operative anatomy. In your photos, it appears that your anterior abdominal wall was thick prior to surgery. This probably explains your post-operative contour. One good option for you may be a staged second procedure to liposuction the anterior abdomen.

Has tummy tuck failed?

Thanks for the question and photos .It will be unfair to comment without seeing photos of before surgery.TT without lipo will look like this. I am sure if you were promised muscle repair then it must have been done. I normally use compression abdominal binder for 3 months after surgery to help my result. You should consult your PS is you are so much concerned. Wish you all the best

Bulge remaining after tummy tuck

Thank you for your question and photographs. I would expect you to have relatively little swelling after five weeks and, based on your body contour in the photographs, the bulge does not appear to be fat. Although it is impossible to tell for sure without an examination, it appears that little, if any muscle tightening was performed. I would talk this over with your surgeon.

Final Results after Tummy Tuck Surgery?

Thank you for the question and pictures. As you can imagine, it is not possible to provide you with precise information online. However, I think it is safe to say that you are not seeing the end results of surgery 5 weeks after it was performed. Although your plastic surgeon is in the best position to advise you most precisely some general thoughts may be helpful. Generally speaking, abdominal wall "swelling" after tummy tuck may be related to: 1. Swelling in... more