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Pubic Area Appears Bigger After Tummy Tuck

I'm now 6 weeks post-Tummy Tuck, and I am pleased with the results. However, I'm bothered that my pubic area appears to be 2-3 centimeters higher/bigger that it was pre-operation. My underwear used to cover the area completely, but now they don't. Is this normal? Will the skin eventually stretch back to its place?

Asked 39 months ago by Ariela in Latvia

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Mons movement after tummy tuck

With a conventional tummy tuck, considerable skin and fat is removed. The upper and lower skin areas (flaps) are then pulled together. This causes tightening in the upper flap, a desired effect, but can also elevate the mons area. The more radical the tummy tuck, the greater this effect may be. Most patients consider some mons elevation a plus, since the mons tends to "sag" after pregnancies. Shortly after surgery, there is swelling and firmness due to healing and swelling from... more

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Brent Moelleken, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Unfortunately you incision line and pubic area would not come down with time!

This is a not an uncommon problem and the reason for its occurence is that the incision line was not initially drawn low enough to take into account for its superior migration by the pulling of the upper abdominal tight skin. Fortunately, this can be often be corrected or imporved upon by scar revision.

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S. Sean Younai, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

You'll probably need to have this area revised

When I perform a tummy tuck, I usually remove some of the excess fat and excess skin from the pubic region. This helps to raise and flatten the pubic area and give a more youthful look. The scar should be hidden within your panty line.Ask your physician about revising the pubis. That should do the trick.

Joseph M. Perlman, MD

Houston Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Pubic swelling may be normal, but have it checked

Increased swelling in the the lower areas of your surgery, specifically in your case, the pubic area, is very common. The swelling or fluid at the pubic area may take longer to resolve in this area because it is the lowest or most dependent area of your surgery. You should schedule a follow up appointment with your surgeon to discuss this to ensure that there is no collection of fluid in this particular area and also will give you a chance to discuss your conerns.

Gregory Turowski, MD, PhD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

The mons pubis region may be easily revised following a tummy tuck procedure

Thank you for your question. The mons pubis region may be easily revised following a tummy tuck procedure. Even though you are at 6 weeks from your initial surgery, I would wait another 6 weeks to ensure your full recovery and to allow the operated areas to settle down. Revision surgery will target two tissue layers -the degree of excess fat and skin. This is usually a simple procedure with minimal risks. Liposuction alone or in combination with the surgical excision of additional skin... more

Stephen A. Goldstein, MD

Denver Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Swelling of the (mons) pubic area after tummy tuck

This is very common and seen in nearly all patients. If you are very active during the day it can become worse. This is due to the fact that it is the lowest part of your surgery and all the swelling settles there. However, the other physicians comments about a full pubis are also true and if this persists after several months you may want to consider liposuction or surgical reduction known as a monsplasty which may be able to adjust the height of the incision. I want to clarify one point... more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Mons fullness

Some of your concern may be swelling, you are only six weeks after surgery and swelling tends to go to the most dependent position. Also if you are wearing a binder, make sure it is constricting above the mons and creating the swelling below it. Unfortunately, it is also possible that overtime you find that the area was undertreated at the time of surgery, but I would not draw this conclusion for at least a few more months.

Vishnu Rumalla, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

The lower the better

A little pre op planning goes a long way. In general, the lower the scar is positioned the better the result. Remember that when the incisions are mapped out before surgery, the final scar will come to lie somewhere between the upper and lower incision. There are a few things your surgeon can do to keep the incision low. Many surgeons now utilize progressive tension suturing which will take tension off of the closure and help to keep the scar below the top of even a small bikini.... more

Mark Preston, MD

Columbus Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Overly Lifted Pubic Area with Tummy Tuck

Regarding: "Pubic Area Appears Bigger After Tummy Tuck I'm now 6 weeks post-Tummy Tuck, and I am pleased with the results. However, I'm bothered that my pubic area appears to be 2-3 centimeters higher/bigger that it was pre-operation. My underwear used to cover the area completely, but now they don't. Is this normal? Will the skin eventually stretch back to its place?" I regret your predicament. Unfortunately, your surgical planning is at fault. Experienced... more

Peter A. Aldea, MD

Memphis Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

This is common and can be corrected with liposuction

This is quite common - often people having abdominoplasties have not seen their pubic region, either becaused it was covered by the excess skin or the stomach protruded and one just didn't see it. If it is troublesome, some liposuction can often solve the problem.

William B. Rosenblatt, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Addressing the pubic area during abdominoplasty - tummy tuck

The pubic mound undergoes specific changes with age, pregnancy, and weight gain. This causes the pubic mound to protrude or sag. In some cases, the amount of pubic redundancy is not noticed by a patient in comparison to the abdominal bulge or excessive overhanging skin. When considering an abdominoplasty procedure, the specific procedures to address the pubic mound should be discussed. This will allow the surgeon to address this critical area during the abdominoplasty procedure. It... more

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Prominant pubic area after abdominoplasty

If the hair-bearing area is higher than pre-surgical then it is likely due to tension from the tummy tuck. To get it lower will require a revision in that area. Alternatively, you may want to consider laser hair removal. All the best, Talmage J. Raine MD FACS

Talmage J. Raine, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Swollen Pubic Region After Abdominoplasty Normal

It is completely normal for the mons and pubic region to appear swollen aftre surgery and appear higher as well. It may take 3-6 months for this to return toasome what more normal appearance. Alot of the edema from the abdomen gets trapped in the mons region, and the area does get pulled up during the surgery as well. As the swelling goes down and the tissues relax a little, that should improve. I hope this helps.

Christopher V. Pelletiere, MD

Barrington Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Mons fullness after a tummy tuck

Sometimes after a tummy tuck there is fullness in the mons. This can be from fat left behind, or bringing the muscles together down there and creating a ridge, or it can be from removing exces skin which was covering up a full mons all along. Time will halp reduce the swelling but some liposuction may also be good.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Pubic area is "lifted" with a tummy tuck

The pubic area is typically "lifted" with a tummy tuck -- this is a result that most women like and appreciate, but can be a surprise if you're not expecting it. The area can look "larger" as well because typically the stomach area is tightened and the pubic ares is not and therefore sometimes that area can look "fatter" than before. It is not actually fatter, it is just now located next to an abdomen that is tight and flat and therefore it looks... more

Richard H. Fryer, MD

Salt Lake City Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Multiple reasons for swollen pubic area after tummy tuck

The mons pubis appearing enlarged after a tummy tuck can be due to a variety of reasons. Swelling at the mons may take longer than the rest of the abdomen to resolve as this is the most dependent (bottom-most) part of the surgical field. Gravity pulls fluid downwards. If it does not resolve with time (3-4 months), then one must consider excess persistent excess fat. Prior to the tummy tuck procedure, one may not have noticed the amount of fat present at the mons pubis, as the amount of fat... more

Steve S. Kim, MD, PhD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Enlarged Mons can be liposuctioned 6 weeks after Tummy Tuck

Ariela, The Mons Pubis can increase in size after abdominoplasty. I have noticed that when I tighten the muscle layers above the mons, this pulls the fatty tissue of the mons together and causes them to bulge. The sugery all by itself can also create swelling in this area. In most of my tummy tucks, mons reduction is a major part of the procedure. This usually involves removing the deep fat layer and liposuctioning the mons at the end of the surgery. The goal is to have a mons that is not... more

Daniel Reichner, MD

Newport Beach Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

We have developed a procedure we call mons-plasty to address this particular issue.

In our pratice, we see patients who notice that their pubic area and mons loses its youthful look with pregnancy and time. What was once a vertically oriented mons is now more horizontally oriented and "down there." With an abdominoplasty, the mons area is raised and given a more vertical orientation. The mons is an area that can gather fat and occasionally we will liposuction the area at the time of abdominoplasty. For the patient that has a vastly prominent mons pubis, we... more

Francisco Canales, MD

Santa Rosa Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Bigger + Higher < Better (Mons)

Careful planning of the location of the Abdominoplasty incision is critical to the final location of the scar. Several factors may influence the choice made by the surgeon, such as the presence or absence of a previous lower pelvic scar from C-Section, or the amount of central and upper abdominal laxity. Although some tightening and lifting of the mons is desirable, excessive lifting of the mons, or a mons that is too thick relative to the new abdominal skin and fat now located above it,... more

Athleo Louis Cambre, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

It is best to have a low incision.

During abdominoplasty, the excess skin is removed between the mons pubis and the belly button. However, when the mons is stretched upward it sometimes reaches higher than the bikini line. Therefore, it is very important that the top of the mons also be removed with the abdominoplasty, to keep the look natural. These are important issues to discuss with your surgeon prior to surgery. It is also important to look at post-operative photos of your surgeon's patients to see how they make the... more

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David Shafer, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Tummy Tucks pull both ways

When tissue is removed from your abdomen, the upper skin is pulled down and the lower skin is pulled up. I account for this movement when I decide where to make the low incision within the Mons pubic. After six weeks the height of the pubic area is what you will see. You can correct this with waxing or laser hair removal. More importantly, a well-placed tummy tuck scar should also be within your bikini line. If your mons is too high, so will the scar. Not much to do with that in the early... more

Robert M. Freund, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Large pubic region after a tummy tuck could be excess fat or fluid.

The pubic region is an area that needs to be specifically addressed with a tummy tuck. Done well, the pubic region should be tight and flat without pubic hair extending inappropriately high. This requires lowering the scar significantly into the pubic hair for patients with significant skin laxity. This will allow it to be tightened without being lifted. Pubic hair (and the scar immediately above it) should be low and easily covered by underwear. The bulge... more

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York Jay Yates, MD

Salt Lake City Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Reasons for 'bigger pubic area' after tummy tuck

Dear Ariela, The pubic area may 'become larger' after tummy tuck for a variety of reasons. If you notice that it is 'higher', it may be due to elevation of the mons area. The mons area becomes elevated in most tummy tucks to some degree. If you had a sagging mons area, the lifting can produce a significant difference in the appearance which may be a 'normal appearance'. If you did not have a sagging mons area, the tummy tuck can lift it higher than... more

Lawrence Tong, MD

Toronto Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Pubic Area Swelling After Tummy Tuck

Pubic area swelling after a tummy tuck is not an uncommon problem. In the early postoperative period (i.e. within 4 weeks of surgery) pubic swelling is usually the result of traumatized lymphatic channels. For this, initial treatment consists of compression (i.e. postoperative garment and direct pressue with foam dressings). Symptoms will usually resolve in a matter of weeks. Pubic swelling lasting longer than 6 months is usually due to excess... more

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Jaime Perez MD

Tampa Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Swelling of pubic area after tummy tuck depends on technique used.

Very interesting question... You can expect some swelling of the pubic area after a a tummy tuck. This should go down as the lymphatics and blood vessels establish themselves and the interstitial fluid subsides. Did you have a lot of tissue / volume in this area before your surgery? If so, your plastic surgeon should have discussed options to reduce the volume or projection in this area. At this time, the best thing to do is to make sure your surgeon knows that you are concerned about this... more

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