Vicryl Sutures After Tummy Tuck - Allergic Reaction?

Tummy tucks typically involve the use of a number of different sutures including those that dissolve and permanent ones.  Some surgeons have also started using dissolvable staples.  Any time a dissolvable suture is used just below the skin there is a chance some of the stitch might not dissolve completely and become exposed.  Most surgeons refer to this as "spitting."  This process almost never involves an allergic reaction.  The treatment is usually very straight forward and involves the removal of the suture in the office most times without the need for any anesthesia.  In frequently sutures can become infected and present as a pustule.  This is referred to as a stitch abscess.  The treatment is similar, but typically involves the use of antibiotic to treat any infection.

It’s not unusual for plastic surgeons to utilize buried
absorbable sutures when they perform abdominoplasty surgery. These sutures are
placed in the dermis to provide strength to the wound closure.Depending
upon the specific type of suture utilized these sutures typically resorb in two
to three months following surgery. At this point the wound has gained most of
its tensile strength and scars are less likely to spread.Unfortunately,
these sutures are a foreign material and for this reason your body has a
tendency to work them to the surface before they’re totally dissolved. This
doesn’t represent a true allergic reaction, but instead a normal response to a
foreign material. When sutures break through the skin; they can sometimes
become infected and form a stitch abscess.This is
a common occurrence when this type of suture is utilized. When these sutures
protrude through the skin, they should be removed to avoid secondary problems.
If the sutures are buried and not causing problems they should be left alone to
dissolve on their own.

many patients develop strong reaction to Vicryl sutures and develop areas of suture abscess which look like small pimples with puss drainage. the best treatment is to wash them, and keep them clean and not to let them get to moist. Hydrogen peroxide or alcohol can help.

Absolutely! Suture reactions to vicryl is very common and manfests as small suture abscesses. Typically the vast majority of sutures are resorbed by 3 months.

An abdominoplasty contains many sutures.  Spitting of a suture through the skin may not necessarily reflect an allergic reaction, but rather, a normal process of rejection of foreign bodies by the body.  Fortunately, long term outcome is not affected. 

Vicryl sutures are removed by the body via an inflammatory reaction.  These "dissolvable" sutures are very useful and have been around for decades.  Occasionally the inflammatory response can create a small sterile abscess around the suture.  It looks like a pimple in the wound.  Your surgeon can retrieve this with a pair of sterile pickups and the small hole will close in a day or so.

What you are describing is more likely a not uncommon stitch reaction that causes a small collection of fluid to form around the ends of stitches. The fluid usually causes a small opening in the skin to drain. Once the drainage is complete the small hole usually closes (this can take some time). If the stitch is not completely absorbed the fluid may remain and the small opening may not close for a long time. In some cases the small piece of stitch material needs to be removed. In most cases these problems resolve on their own.

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I hope this info helps...

It is rare to have an allergic reaction to Vicryl.  What you are describing is likely "spitting" sutures or a suture abscess.  Vicryl sutures are designed to dissolve over a period of time.  This dissolving process occurs as your body reacts to the suture and walls it off while breaking it down.  If the suture is close to the skin, this process can lead to a suture abscess as bacteria can contaminate the walled off suture.  Removal of the offending suture will usually resolve the problem. 

Vicryl is a common absorbable suture used to close the deep layers below the skin surface.  It is expected to hold the tension on the deeper layers during the critical first 6 weeks of the healing period to allow less tension on the skin closure and thus a better scar. 

Sometimes vicryl sutures as swell as other absorbable sutures work there way to the surface rather than dissolving deeply and can present as inflammation, redness, pain, drainage and localized infection at the suture line.  Usually treatment is quite simple for a "spitting suture", involving simply removing the suture at the surface, then allowing the small opening to heal spontaneously with lots of soap and water washing.

Antibiotics are rarely needed and usually the process is well-localized so there may be no long term consequence for the scar.

A true allergy to Vicryl sutures is rare; it is more common to have small "stitch abscesses" from Vicryl and is not uncommon after larger procedures.  Vicryl sutures are normally absorbed/dissolved by your body but sometimes the bulk of suture where the knots are tied is simply too much for your body to absorb and therefore your body tries to eliminate it by "spitting" the stitch out through the skin.

Some individuals tend to "spit stitches" more than others.  Sometimes this can be caused by bacteria which enter into the stitch and create small infections around the stitch which burst like small acne sores and then get better spontaneously.

This is usually nothing to be worried about, and is seen frequently with some other dissolving sutures as well.