Leaking from Bellybutton After Abdominoplasty, Should I be Worried?

Abdominoplasty 5 1/2 weeks ago in Mexico. Coming out of anesthesia I ripped the drain out. Replaced 4 hours later. 10 days after surgery the drain fell out and the wound healed quickly. The fluid started leaking from my bellybutton. If I leaned over the sink and massaged my stomach it would squirt out. I have been tested for infection and that is negative. It has now stopped but because my bellybutton has healed. Should I be worried that the fluid is still being produced with no place to go?

Update: Thank you very much for your replies and concerns. I'm in Las Vegas and the PS is in Tijuana so it's not too far away. I have made an appointment to see him this Friday and will post the results of that appointment.

Thanks again for the advice!

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belly button leak 1 month post-op

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4 Doctor Answers | Asked by Ciremulb in Las Vegas, NV

Doctor Answers (4)
Community Comments (1)

Leaking tummy tuck after surgery in Mexico.

I'm sorry to hear that you're in this situation and do not have easy access to your plastic surgeon. Your issue could be as simple as a fluid collection, or more complex such as a localized infection or a suture that is draining. If you can't see or communicate with the surgeon that did your surgery you really need to see someone where you are as soon as possible to make sure that a small problem does not become a big one. Please go see your plastic surgeon or a... more

Tummy Tuck - Leaking from Bellybutton After Abdominoplasty

All procedures are associated with the risk of certain complications, many of which are relatively minor, but you do need to be able to see your surgeon or another surgeon during the first few weeks post-op. The situation you're in - relatively far away from your surgeon - is one that has to be considered when you're having surgery: what will you do in the event that you have a question after you have left the area? When I do surgery on out-of-town patients I try to... more

Leaking from belly button after tummy tuck

If the leaking persists or if you develop an infection, you should see a local plastic surgeon in case you need antibiotics or drainage.

Draining fluid after tummy tuck

All surgical procedures carry certain risks and the possibility of certain complications. In the ideal situation they would not occur, but unfortunately they do. In the usual situation, when you have surgery you are usually able to return to your plastic surgeon to have a similar issue attended to and treated. When surgery at a distance from where you live is contemplated this is one aspect of the decision making process that seems to incompletely considered. This is... more

Ralph R. Garramone, MD

7 reviews

Fort Myers Plastic Surgeon

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Comments (1)

J T 2 Sep 2012

MOST of ALL who reads what i am about to Teach you ALL , WILL NOT BELIEVE ME
............................................................................................................................
The reason why a bad odor or smell , comes from a Belly Button , is the same reason
why so many millions of people have a bad weight problem...
...when the Umbilical cord is cut at birth , it is NOT properly sued / sealed / SUTURED "Shut"
...keep in my , that we as unborn babies , submitted our movements (poop) , back into our
mothers , VIA the umbilical cord RIGHT , so when an umbilical cord is NOT sealed correctly ,
which is 99% of ALL human life at birth , thus 85% of all humans , seem to seal / close-up
thy wound / scar / belly button , on our own & never have an issue or a worry , about such
exterior or INTERIOR Leakage ... YES interior leakage as well , cause mass obesity...
this theory is under close study throughout the world NOW
...so , as i mentioned above , that our movements , traveled back through the umbilical cord
CORRECT , thus some people , as normal as you & i , leak out their belly buttons & some
leak internally as well ... many never leak ... some leak after giving birth ...some leak after
getting fat & thus the tension around the belly button , causes a leak ... sooo
if you do in fact have a leak , I SUGGEST THAT YOU GO GET IT SUTURED , cause you are
MOST LIKELY leaking from inside out ... YES ... TRUST WHAT I AM TEACHING YOU ...
USE YOUR BRAIN ... THINK ABOUT IT ... STOP THINKING AN EXTERNAL LEAK , IS MERELY
A YEAST INFECTION ... BULL SHIT ... IT IS BLOOD OR A BIT OF A MOVEMENT OR FAT
OR FOOD & / OR , ALL THAT PASSES THROUGH THE BODY ... STOP LISTENING TO IDIOTS
TEACHING YOU NON-SENSE ... GO TO THE DR ... """DEMAND""" THAT IT BE OPENED UP &
SUTURED FROM THE INSIDE & RE-SEALED CORRECTLY ,
SINCE IT """WAS INDEED""" DONE BADLY OR INCORRECTLY UPON YOUR BIRTH

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