Is It Common for Permanent Abdominoplasty Sutures to Get Infected After 5 Years?

In our practice, we find that as every patient is unique so is every tummy tuck. We spent a great deal of time preoperatively talking to patients and understanding their concerns, their goals, and evaluating their body anatomical tissue. This allows us to create a surgical plan that will meet their concerns and help accomplish their aesthetic goals. In the patients that require muscle tightening we do perform a muscle repair with permanent suture. The suture is placed in a manner that is below the covering of the muscles and will not be noticed by the patient. Typically, the sutures to perform their role and are not culpable or noticed by the patient. Although it is very uncommon for the sutures to become infected, everything is possible in life and surgery. If you notice redness, a firm area, swelling, or a collection underneath your skin, your best bet is to work with a plastic surgeon who is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and has extensive experience with abdominal surgery and body contouring. They will be able to carefully evaluate you, determine what is the cause of the swelling and formulate a surgical plan to correct this issue and maintain a great aesthetic result for you.

While not common, it does happen with certain permanent sutures that are sometimes used for abdominoplasties, hernia repairs and other abdominal surgeries. Suture made from braided nylon (Ethibond) seems to be the culprit in most cases. Unfortunately, these problems can arise years after the original surgery. Sometimes they can be dealt with during an office procedure if only one small area is involved. If it continues to be a recurring problem, a surgical procedure may be done to remove the offending sutures (without undoing your abdominoplasty). You may wish to discuss this with your plastic surgeon.