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Is This Just Simple Swelling After 9 Weeks of Having a Tummy Tuck or is Something Wrong? (photo)

I have a bulge above my incision line after 9 weeks and don't see how my stomach will every look as flat as it was pre-op. When I'm sitting it looks and feels like I have grown a tummy that simply was not there but lying down its flat. My surgeon has said he has done a full abdominal muscle repair and an ultra sound has ruled out a fluid collection. He said I may need lipo and my muscles may have relaxed so i should start to do leg raises. I was very skinny pre-op so I don't understand why?

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bulge swelling 2 months post-op

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7 Doctor Answers | Asked by 2013

Doctor Answers (7)
Community Comments (3)

Tummy Tuck Swelling

I do not see any skin laxity in the first picture and there is hardly any fat and the abdominal muscles are visible. I am not even sure how the full tummy tuck could have been performed. At any rate, swelling after tummy tuck may last for several months. Continue following up with your plastic surgeon. Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Swelling after surgery?

From your preop photo, you had very little fat to start off with. I would guess that what you have is mostly swelling from your surgery, which is very common above the incision as the incision affects the normal pathways for drainage of lymphatic fluid. Compression and massage may help your situation. Please consult your surgeon and follow his advice. Thank you for your questions.

Swollen after tummy tuck

After 9 weeks its possible that you still have some swelling. While you dont mention it, if you have gained some weight, that would be an additional factor. What I am surprised by, though, is why you had a tummy tuck at all. It looks from the front view that you had good muscle tone and minimal laxity of your skin. What were you and the surgeon trying to achieve? At this point, I would wait at least 6 months before considering anything surgical. Start or continue to exercise, let any... more

Paul Wigoda, MD

4 reviews

Fort Lauderdale Plastic Surgeon

drwigoda.com

Swelling after Tummy Tuck?

As always, it is best to be seen in person ( by your plastic surgeon) for precise diagnosis and treatment. Abdominal wall "swelling" after tummy tuck may be related to: 1. Swelling in the soft tissues. This may take several months to resolve and may worsen with increased activity or at the end of the day. Patience is required to allow for resolution of the swelling. The swelling occurs because of the interruption of venous and lymphatic channels that occurs... more

Is This Just Simple Swelling

I can certainly understand your distress. It is helpful to know there is no fluid collection, which would otherwise have topped the list of possibilities. Loss of the muscle repair might be a possibility in some patients, but your abdominal wall looks rock solid on the pre-op photos, so that makes no sense. This leaves swelling as the most likely cause, and it make take 6 months or so to resolve. I would think very hard before considering liposuction as it is... more

Swelling after a tummy tuck

Hi Some swelling is common after any major surgery and may take a few weeks/months to settle. Once fluid collection has been ruled out, compression garment may help. Has your weight changed at all since surgery? I share the view of Dr. Hughes that you did not have a lot of skin or fat excess before surgery and your muscle tone seemed very good, and am slightly curious as to why you felt that you needed a full tummy tuck.

Anindya Lahiri, MBBS

4 reviews

Birmingham Plastic Surgeon

Bulge in my tummy after nine weeks.

Thanks for your questions and for the photographs. I'm glad to know that your surgeon has ruled out a fluid collection because that is certainly a possibility. Unfortunately, swelling above the incision is quite normal for a few months after surgery. The scar tissue acts as a wall which traps fluid in the soft tissue above it. This is not the kind of fluid that you can stick a needle in to drain. It is more like a swollen bruise. Fortunately,... more

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Comments (3)

stephanieremon25 23 Apr 2013

Hello I have the same problem I have a bulge on top of my incision. Has it gotten any better for you?

2013 24 Apr 2013

It's been just over 4 months and the swlling has gone down but I'm still left with a tyre running along the length of the scar. One of the surgeons can't explain why I still look so different now compared to my pre op photo. Seen 2 other plastic surgeon and they both said I will need lipo. I have a step where the thickness of the skin above the scar and the thin skin below makes me look like i still have an abnormal bulge. Hope this helps

stephanieremon25 24 Apr 2013

It is so difficult for me to. My Dr. does not know why I have the bulge on top. He says its a mystery to him because there is no fat in that area. I just had a scar revision done and he removed the dog ears and worked mainly one the side i thought was better than the other. I had lipo done under local anesthesia and nothing was coming out. Now during this revision there was no fat either. When I touch the area in the actual incision it feels a little hard. But I still have no answers. Have you done the lymphatic massages?

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