Tummy Tuck Q&A
94%
WORTH IT RATING
"Worth It Rating" shows the % of consumer reviewers that stated the procedure was "Worth It" or not. See more RealSelf Worth It Ratings or Add Your Review
2,299 Reviews
Tummy Tuckbefore & after photos
View Before and Afters

Average Tummy Tuck Cost: $7,925

Learn about Tummy Tuck

7,725 people and 863 doctors are talking about Tummy Tuck

Get Free Email Updates

Necrosis and Sepsis After Tummy Tuck: How Long Until the Wound Heals Up?

asked 1 year ago by gemtebbs in plymouth
Latest answer by Tom J. Pousti, MD
Question viewed 627 times
Tags: female, healing, necrosis, stitches, timing, wound

i had full tummy tuck with lipo 2 weeks ago. i developed sepsis and necrosis of the skin and fatty tissue. the doctors decided not to debride the dead tissue but it's quite a large area and feels like it will never heal. it seems to me that the wound is getting larger altough the black tissue has not grown any larger. the wound seems to be opening up more. should i have had more stitches to close this up?

6 answers to Necrosis and Sepsis After Tummy Tuck: How Long Until the Wound Heals Up?

+2

Removal of the necrotic tissue is important

Necrosis can be a result of too much tension on incision, poor blood supply, smoking ect. The necrotic tissue needs to be removed and the wound has to heal from the inside out. You cannot resuture the wound. Unfortunately the healing takes a long time but usually does not alter the end result.
Hilton Becker, MD

Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon
+1

Necrosis/Wound after Tummy Tuck?

I am sorry to hear about the complication you have experienced after tummy tuck surgery. The major principles here involve: removal of necrotic tissue, avoidance of damage to normal healthy tissue, treatment of infection if present, removal of any foreign body that may prevent healing ( exposed sutures), adequate nutrition/protein intake etc. Depending on the size of the wound it may take several weeks to months for closure to occur. Again, depending on the size of the... more
Tom J. Pousti, MD

San Diego Plastic Surgeon

www.poustiplasticsurgery.com

+1

Open wound after a tummy tuck

As Dr. Aldea said, the reason for the necrosis needs to be determined and just how large an area is involved you didn't say. But, the last thing you can do is go back in to stitch it up. The wound was closed under some tension as all TT's are, and this will cause the wound to want to open up more and will slow down the healing process. As for debridement, the usual treatment of necrotic tissue is to remove it especially in the face of sepsis. On rare occasions... more
Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS

Seattle Plastic Surgeon
+1

Necrosis of the skin can happen for many reasons after tummy tuck surgery

You need to discuss this with your doctor. Any information that you get without full understanding of your situation will only confuse you more. There is no way to give relevant advice on this problem through this forum. That being said, wound breakdowns after tummy tuck usually heal up on their own and usually do not require any surgical intervention. Simple local wound care is usually all that is needed and in a few weeks the wound closes.
Dev Wali, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon
+1

Necrosis and Sepsis After Tummy Tuck: How Long Until the Wound Heals Up?

Before discussing TREATMENT we must understand CAUSE. We need to understand WHY your Tummy Tuck tissue died and became infected. Was it because you are or live with a smoker? Do you have Diabetes or a connective tissue diseases (such as Lupus or Scleroderma)? Was the liposuction too aggressive and resulted in destruction of the blood supply to the skin? If you had one or more of these conditions, they need to be corrected or improved upon. I'm not sure why your surgeons decided... more
Peter A. Aldea, MD

Memphis Plastic Surgeon
+1

More stitches will not help

The necrosis of the skin is rare but it does happen. You need to follow your surgeons recommendations and you will be fine. It will take few months for wound to heal and may need revision later on.
Kamran Khoobehi, MD

New Orleans Plastic Surgeon

Ask a question