Drain Site Tenderness - Is This Normal?

asked 1 year ago by whitewolf3253 in Jasper, TX
Latest answer by Tom J. Pousti, MD
Question viewed 225 times
Tags: drainage, normal

1 1/2 weeks out from tummy tuck and liposuction. I have had one drain removed and never really had any problems with it. However, the one that is left is very tender and red. It is hurting worse than that the tumy tuck and the lipo at this point. Every time I get up it pinches and makes it worse. I have called my doctor's office and they have said that the redness is normal due to it being an irritated area but should it be this painful?

5 answers to Drain Site Tenderness - Is This Normal?

Drain Site Tenderness After Tummy Tuck

It is not unusual to develop redness and some tenderness around the drains placed at the time of your tummy tuck. These drains, as in your case, often stay in for several days. If you have no redness elsewhere (in incision,etc.) and have no purulent drainage around the drain site, it is most likely nothing about which to be concerned.

John Whitt, MD
Louisville Plastic Surgeon

Tummy tuck drain

Some mild redness/tenderness is to be expected around the drain tube. However, you should pay close attention to the area and if you notice spreading redness, increasing tenderness/pain or any fevers and chills then immediate follow-up with your surgeon is indicated. Best wishes.

Tom J. Pousti, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

www.poustiplasticsurgery.com

A Mild Inflammatory Response Is Normal For A Tummy Tuck Drain

A drain coming though your skin is an abnormal presence that the body will tolerate for a limited period of time. Drains that are removed within a week or so after surgery never really get very red or sore as the body has not mounted a significant inflammatory response to it yet. But drains that stay in for 10 days or longer will get very red and sore, not only due to the foreign body coming through the skin but also because it has some regular motion around the exit site as it gets tugged... more

Barry L. Eppley, MD, DMD
Indianapolis Plastic Surgeon

www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com