Muscle repair failure after tummy tuck? (Photo)

It is very difficult to assess the muscles in pictures without a physical exam. There are a number of reasons why you may still be experiencing lower abdominal fullness. There could be swelling, muscle separation, weakness of the abdominal wall, or even fluid collections.Touch base with your operating surgeon. At some point a CT scan may be utilized to determine the etiology of your swelling.

Thank you for your question and the photos.  I'm sorry you're experiencing some delayed swelling following your tummy tuck.  From the photos alone, it is impossible to determine if this is normal swelling or if you might require further muscle repair.  Due to the fact that you had liposuction just 5 seeks ago, it would not be unusual for there to be some additional swelling.  Your own plastic surgeon is the best one to assess your results since they have the most knowledge of your case.  Swelling from tummy tuck alone can sometimes take up to a year to resolve.  Best of luck to you.

Most likely you did get a Muscle Repair  during your Tummy Tuck but maybe your muscle was much looser than normal and the plication was not enough and you need one definitely much tighter. Based on my own experience it is normal to feel the abdomen distended at late afternoon or night. It will be better after 2-3 years. Dr. Cardenas 

Thank you for your question and photographs. It is not uncommon to experience long term swelling after a tummy tuck procedure. Tissue healing and swelling usually completely resolves at one year post-op. It is difficult to assess whether or not your abdominal wall tightening is adequate based on these before and after photographs. I recommend following up with your Board Certified Plastic Surgeon for an in person examination and to discuss your concerns. Good luck!

Dear Patient: I'm sorry to hear about your post-op TT results.  I would need better photos of before and afters, and even with that, a personal examination is the best way  to assess what's going on in your case, whether the TT you had has tightened your abdominal wall enough or whether you have ongoing long-term swelling.  Post TT swelling is normal, and it usually will increase as your activity levels increase.  Usually at about a year post op you should finally see the swelling gone.  Follow up with your Board Certified Plastic surgeon, and lets hope that all resolves in your favor.  Hope this helps!   

Hello,If your surgeon is correct, and he most likely is if he is an ABPS certified/ASAPS member surgeon who has performed hundreds of TTs, you probably have abdominal wall muscle weakness, which I believe is entirely involuntary, but not related to muscle or nerve injury. In other words, there is some sort of unconscious relaxation of the muscles, possibly a learned response early after surgery to avoid discomfort.  I've seen this in less than a dozen patients, but noticed that with increased activity and time, the abdominal wall 'flattens' again. As an aside, you should be very conscious of your posture and be mindful to activate your abdominal wall while standing, and begin an exercise program; this will protect your lower back from undue strain and help regain muscle wall strength again. Best of luck!

Given that you just had liposuction performed 5 weeks ago, you will certainly have swelling in the area, therefore difficult to assess the situation.  If you are flat in the morning and then have swelling at night, it just tells me that your body is still trying to heal and it will require time.  In general it takes about a year before you reach your final results.  Therefore, patience is on your side for now.  You will have to wait and reassess the area at that time.For now, follow your surgeon instructions regarding the use of compression garments.Hope that helps.

Dear kellycookies,I understand your concern. However, without a proper assessment it would be difficult to determine what is wrong. It is best that you visit your plastic surgeon for further assessment. Only after thorough examination you can get proper recommendations and advice.Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

and most appreciate something happening at the time it occurs.  Weak tummies and attenuated fascia cannot be predicted until in surgery and sometimes that may be the reason for the protrusion when relaxing your tummy.  If your tummy is truly flat in the morning and gets rounder during the day, you are having some severe sporadic swelling but this should improve and eventually resolve with time and healing.

I have sorry to hear about your concerns after tummy tuck surgery. It will be difficult for online consultants to accurately determine whether your abdominal wall muscle plication has relaxed (or was simply not "tight" enough) and/or whether you have ongoing swelling present. 

Longer-term swelling after tummy tuck surgery is quite common; swelling may persist for many months and even up to one year after the procedure is performed. Often, patients will report that the swelling increases as their activity level increases and gets worse later on in the day.   This situation continues until the venous/lymphatic channels of the abdominal wall begin to function normally again.

 At this point my best advice: ongoing patience.  If at the 1 to 1.5 year post op mark you continue to have the same concerns, then abdominal wall laxity may be the culprit.  If so, further plication of the abdominal wall may be necessary to achieve an outcome that you will be pleased with. Keep in mind however that too much  tightening of the abdominal wall muscles  can be problematic also.

 Best wishes.