After Drain Tubes Are Removed, How Long Does It Normally Take for the All the Fluid to Evaporate?

It is one month and 7 days post op tummy tuck. 10/2/12 drain tubes was removed. I am so tight with fluid, even my groin area is puffy. How long does will it take for fluid to evaporate in body?

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4 Doctor Answers | Asked by womanofblessins in Tennessee

Doctor Answers (4)
Community Comments (1)

Swelling after tummy tuck

Swelling after a tummy tuck (or any body contouring procedure) occurs it two ways. First, with any surgery, the body responds to the "trauma" with inflammation. This is the healing process. This inflammation leads to fluid collection within the cells/tissues of the body. As the inflammation decreases with the process of healing, the excess fluid decreases and swelling goes down. The other "swelling" that can occur is due to the presence of spaces between the... more

Fluid Collection After Removal of Drain Tubes

Thank you for the question. Although it is very difficult to give an accurate opinion without the aid of pictures and/or an in-person exam, this does not sound like the normal progression after an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck). The fluid in the body does not evaporate. Typically the drains are removed after the amount of fluid is low enough that the body will able to handle the excess fluid (lymph) just as before the surgery. After surgery one swells from the inflammation produced as a... more

Fluid post TT

Dear WOB, It sounds like you should see your surgeon. It is important to rule out any fluid collections such as seromas or hematomas. Hopefully you just have normal swelling or edema post operatively. The only way to know for sure is to be examined by your surgeon or another physician. If you do have a collection, it is important for it to be treated ASAP. Normal tissue swelling can last months although most of it usually resolves within 6 weeks... more

How Long Does It Normally Take for the All the Fluid to Evaporate?

The fluid doesn't evaporate, it is absorbed. We take the drains out when it is likely that the body can absorb the fluid as fast as it is made. The educated guess is not always correct. If your abdomen feels tight with fluid, a call to your surgeon followed by an office visit is in order. Any fluid collection may well need to be aspirated, and no on-line consultant can determine that for you. Thanks for your question, and best wishes.

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Comments (1)

womanofblessins 7 Oct 2012

Thank you so much. Maybe that what my Dr meant when I asked him what happens to the fluid when drains are pull. May he thought he would insults intelligence by breaking it down the way you did, so he thought he tell me in layman's terms by maligning it simple and saying it absorbs into the body. I had the drain tubes in for 4weeks and 6 days. As far as seroma there is no symptoms of it. My tummy is pretty solid. Thank you so much for you timely response

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