Why can't you shower with your drains in after a tummy tuck?

Thank you for your question. There’s no reason why not to shower with a drain in place. I have my patients shower within 24 hours if they are up to it, but most elect to wait 2-3 days. I tell them that they can hang the drain with a string around their neck, so it won’t tag on the drain insertion site. Go ahead get cleaned up! You’ll feel 100% better.

Every surgeon has their own ideas about showering with or without the drains.  I allow my patients to shower with the drains after 48 hours of surgery.  I ask them to wash around the drains with soap and water to help keep the area clean and lower bacterial count.I would discuss this with your plastic surgeons office as every surgeon has their own protocol.Hope that helps.

Dear misskaymae88,every plastic surgeon has his own postoperative protocol which he recommends to his patients. I would suggest you to discuss this with your plastic surgeon.Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Thank you for your question.When showering after a tummy tuck it is very important to follow the specific directions of your physician. After a tummy tuck your wound is fresh so a dry environment will help it heal faster. You don’t want to shower because it usually causes bacteria from breast to run down to your stomach and cause complications. Best thing to do is sponge baths which is just as effective as a shower. I usually instruct my patients on how to do a proper sponge bath on themselves prior to leaving the facility.

Thank you for your question.  Every Plastic surgeon has their own postoperative instruction.  That being said, all of my patients are allowed to shower 24 hours after their surgery to prevent Infection even with the drains in. I recommend following up or contacting the surgeon who operated on you for postoperative care. Best of luck with your recovery.

Thank you for your question. Every surgeon has their own recommendation for returning to physical activity that is the based on the patient procedure. It's important that you are following your surgeon's post-operative care instructions to ensure the best results. We recommend that your consult your surgeon to further discuss your concerns. 
Best of Luck!

Hi and thanks for your question. Every surgeon has their own protocol for post op care. With that said, I allow my patients to shower 24 hours after surgery while drains in place, and tell them to use just anti bacterial soap and water.. no wash cloth. Making sure everything is dry prior to dressing with compression garment is important. I advise no baths or submerging in water for 3 weeks or until everything is completely healed over for risk of infection. Best of Luck

I would consider it an infection risk to shower with the drains in.  Showers and bathtubs are not the most sanitary places and the drain needs to stay as clean as possible.  Clean it with an alcohol swab daily.  Follow your surgeon's instructions!  Even if someone in this forum advises otherwise, it is important to follow the instructions of the surgeon you are working with to ensure the best outcome.  Be patient and the drains will be out soon!

This is one of those post-surgical management topics (and there are many) that surgeons advise based on experience, tradition, lore, and what their surgical mentors did, rather than on science or evidence.  And that's OK, when science and evidence aren't available.  I did a quick search on surgical drain management and found no studies on the issue of showering.  Something may be out there, and if anyone finds something, please post it, I'd like to know too.  Personally, I usually allow patients to remove bandages and shower, even with drains, after 48 hours.  I understand the logic of the drain hole being an access for bacteria, but i don't think a shower creates a significant risk of this, although I don't allow sitting in a bath tub until a couple days after the drain comes out, using the same logic.  I think leaving the drain site uncleaned is the worst option, and cleansing the site regularly and covering it is perfectly reasonable (although some patients or their caretakers are not always capable of this!).  So my shower-with-drain policy is based on my own experience, logic and training.  If I find some evidence that another way is better, I'll change it.

Hello! Thanks for your question! Every surgeon has their own specific post-op protocol, so getting in touch with your surgeons office would be the best idea.However, I do not let my patients shower with drains in as the drain entry is effectively an open wound, and therefore is an easy route to infection.  Since the tissue in the surrounding area is already compromised, concern about infection is much higher, and running water that contains contaminants can very easily find it's way to that area. I allow my patients to sponge bathe, avoiding their incision (check with your surgeon before doing this!), and some of my patients have their caretaker wash their hair in the sink or go to a salon (carefully!). Definitely double check with your surgeon as to their specific reasonings and expectations! Good luck, and be safe!