Bulging and Sore Abs Years After Tummy Tuck

It depends a bit on what your surgery involved and when you started noticing the bulge. Abdominal contour is dependent on: Skin envelope Abdominal fat (subcutaneous and intrabdominal) Muscles tightness Intrinsic Swelling Fluid collections Skin Envelope - People complaining of "abdominal bulge" after tummy tuck typically do not have issues with too much skin - that points to issues underneath the skin. Abdominal fat - This can be an issue in people who may be a little bit over their ideal... more

At this point, it may be worth a second opinion and possibly obtaining an imaging study to evaluate the cause for your bulging.  see video

Tummy tucks are a very popular and effective technique to contour the abdomen. During the surgery, we lift up your skin and fat layer and assess your muscles. If there is a separation of the muscles or some weakness, we commonly use sutured techniques to tighten the muscles and give you a smaller waist. There may be several causes for the bulging and soreness that you are experiencing in your upper abdomen. It is possible that this bulging may be a small collection of fat. It is also... more

Sometimes after a tummy tuck there is residual fullness int he upper abdomen. Without examining you, it would be hard to tell. This can be residual fatty tissue, loose skin to name a few causes. It can also be a diastasis if it was not corrected at the first procedure.

Without an examination, I am just assuming that your tummy tuck was a "limited dissection" procedure that did not free the upper abominal tissues. Some surgeons call this a "mini-abdominoplasty". If your belly button was not repositioned, this is probably the case. You may benefit from a "full dissection" tuck with a new umbilical position. Best wishes.