Pubic Area Appears Bigger 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 the liposuction that is often performed at the same time as the tummy tuck. Of course patients should make sure with their doctors that this swelling does not represent a collection of fluid, but that is easy to determine at your doctor's office during a postoperative check.
Patients are often under the impression that making an extra low incision will leave the final incision lower, and therefore more concealed by a bikini-type garment.
This can be false.
The lower the incision, the more skin and fat must be removed, since the upper incision is above the belly button. In many patients, especially patients with high belly buttons or thinner patients who have less excess skin and fat to be removed, this can cause excessive tightness.
Excessive tightness leads to poor scarring and weird elevation and elongation of the pubic structures, an uncorrectable and disturbing problem. Excessive tension on the incision also predisposes to poor wound healing and greatly increases the chance of the skin pulling apart, necessitating weeks or months of dressing changes.
So every patient is different. A skilled plastic surgeon can draw where the anticipated incisions will be during surgery, and estimate where your final incision will be.
It is not realistic for every patient to have a "bikini incision" after a full tummy tuck.

Dear Ariela,
Thank you for your question regarding the pubic area appearing bigger after a tummy tuck.  Since you are only six weeks after your tummy tuck, I believe you are still swelling.  After a tummy tuck or any surgery, there will be swelling. After a tummy tuck, pubic swelling is normal. Most of the swelling after a tummy tuck is gone after six to eight weeks. However, if you had a big tummy tuck with liposuction, the swelling will last a little longer. Since this area is of concern to you, I would suggest you follow up with your plastic surgeon. For now, I would wear a tight compression garment to minimize any swelling or edema in the pubic region. I would give you at least another three to four months before re-evaluating this area. If the pubic area is still large six months after your tummy tuck you may want to consider pubic or mons area revision. Typically, a pubic reduction after a tummy tuck can be done with liposuction. Often, mons liposuction can be done in the office or outpatient surgery setting. If the pubic region or mons is more extensive, you may need a monsplasty. During the surgery, an incision is made through the tummy tuck scar and the mons is lifted and reduced. Rarely, a vertical monsplasty is performed where a vertical incision is made from the top of the labia towards the tummy tuck scar. I hope this answers your questions about swelling of the pubic area after a tummy tuck. If you have any more questions regarding pubic revision monsplasty, pubic healing or plastic surgery, call my office When seeking treatment for the pubic region, please seek an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon who has performed thousands of these procedures. If you have any other questions regarding pubic area swelling or plastic surgery, call my office. Thank you for your question! Good luck!
Thanks,
Dr. Timothy Katzen

The pubic area, or mons pubis, frequently will swell after a tummy tuck. If the fullness persists after a few months it may be due to fat which can be treated with liposuction but should be addressed at the initial tummy tuck operation. The mons (along with the hair) can be pulled upward during the tummy tuck if there is loose skin. This can be treated with laser hair removal but should also be discussed prior to undergoing the operation.  

Hello!The pubic area, being directly adjacent to the abdomen, may change with Tummy Tuck. It definitely may become elevated with the lift the Tummy Tuck provides. When the tummy gets flatter with Tummy Tuck and the pubic region is not addressed, the pubic area may look relatively full, and may benefit from liposuction or from removing some of the upper pubic skin. Oftentimes the pubic area will get swollen with Tummy Tuck and girdle compression will help reduce this.

Please know it is difficult to advise without seeing you, however is it very common for the pubic area to be "higher/bigger" after a tummy tuck procedure. This is largely due to the residual swelling that has gravitated down to the pubic region but may also be due to the pubic area being lifted during the tummy tuck procedure. It will take 3-6 months for the swelling to resolve, the tightness to settle and to see your final results. Your skin should stretch back to place and return to normal.  It is best to follow up with your surgeon if you are still concerned.

Thank you for your question.  Final results of a tummy tuck will take 9-12
months. If the supra pubic area is overly lifted then you can wait 6-12 months to lower the scar.  Discuss your concerns with your Plastic Surgeon.  Best Wishes.

This can occur normally, although a little better
planning goes a long way. With the removal of excess fat from the pubis region
there is the ability to raise it and provide a more youthful look. However, the
are should be covered completely within the panty line, and if you are unhappy
with the appearance of the area you should consult your surgeon and discuss the
possibility of a revision procedure for this area.

While it is always cosmetically desirable to place a patients tummy tuck incision low in the bikini line so it is very well hidden in underwear or a bikini bottom, a patients anatomy will dictate whether this is possible or not without leaving the patient with a vertical scar.  What does this mean?  A high umbilicus and a short distance of the upper abdomen (as dictated by the patient's pre-operative anatomy) will sometimes require that the surgeon make a slightly higher tummy tuck incision in order to prevent the patient from having a potentially visible vertical scar between the patient's new belly button and the horizontal scar.   This vertical scar is a vertical closure of the patients old belly button hole that was not able to be excised in its entirety at the time of their surgery.  It is important to keep in mind that when performing a tummy tuck there is generally a large amount of skin and fat that is removed from the abdominal wall.  In removing this skin and subcutaneous tissue, the upper and lower boarders of the incision are closed by pulling them together, which tightens the upper and can lift the lower (the mons pubis).  In some patient's this is preferable, especially if their mons has sagged after pregnancy.  However, for others the effect can be much greater.  Swelling can also affect the bulging or firmness of the mons area after a tummy tuck and some patients who are very active might find that the appearance can become more visible as the day goes on.   I would recommend following up with your operating surgeon to discuss your concerns.  If you are only 6 weeks out from surgery, it is too soon to predict what your final result will be and I would advise you to wait it out a little longer until more of the swelling can subside and your body can heal.  With that said, some patients will consider liposuction or a surgical reduction of the mons area if this bulging effect has not subsided after they have allowed for enough healing time.  I hope this helps!

You’re probably experiencing swelling in the area, and the fluid accumulation is affecting your pubic area. This might appear worse as the day progresses.However, if the swelling goes down (wait a few months) and the area is still noticeably larger than before your surgery, you may need another procedure to correct this. Liposuction is an option in this case.

A prominent pubic area can be a problem after tummy tuck without planning and communication with your plastic surgeon. If it is too prominent, you can have a reduction 6-12 months after surgery, but the best route is to avoid it in the first place.  

I frequently perform procedures to manage the Mons area during Tummy Tuck surgery.  It is important that you have an understanding of what is going to happen to the mons area with a Tummy Tuck and discuss this with your surgeon.  In your particular situation it is also important to understand that there is still significant swelling after most Tummy Tucks at six weeks after surgery.  Nonetheless, after several months has passed there may options to improve your area of concern if it remains bothersome for you.