Should I have laxity and bulging after full tummy tuck? (photo)

Hello. Great question. Thank you for your picture. However, a personal examination is needed to determine if your bulge is skin laxity, fat, fluid or swelling. Please schedule a follow up appointment with a board certified plastic surgeon for a detailed examination.

Though it can take longer to see your final results I can appreciate your concern. I encourage you to speak with your surgeon about this. It appears that you continue to have muscle wall laxity. It could be visceral fat as well, but an exam would be needed to determine the underlying cause for the contour.

From your photograph, it does seem like you have some excess laxity after your surgery. There are a number of things that govern this, including the quality of your tissues, intra-abdominal fat, a running suture that may have broken, simply not enough tightening, and others. You should talk to your doctor about your concerns.

Dear animama,I understand your concern and it is quite normal to be concerned about the outcome following a tummy tuck surgery. However, you are still in the very early stages of the healing process.Your will need to be patient at this moment and follow what your surgeon has instructed you to do post operatively.At the early stage of the healing process, the tissues are still swollen. Once the swelling subsides  you will be able to see the final result of your surgery.Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Sometimes after a tummy tuck a revision needs to be performed.  I would need to see the before and after pictures and review the operative record to determine what type of tummy tuck was performed and why.  A tummy tuck is wonderful procedure that consists of 3 basic steps:Skin removalAbdominal muscle repairSubcutaneous fat removalThere are many different types of tummy tucks and each tummy tuck is individualized to every patient to obtain the maximum result.  This is an outpatient procedure performed under a general anesthetic.  A break through drug, Exparel, a long acting local anesthetic, is now used on all tummy tucks and alleviates post operative pain for up to 3-4 days.  This speeds up the recovery time and decreases the use of opioid analgesics.I would talk with your surgeon about the results and maybe obtain a second opinion from a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who specializes in body contouring procedures.Good Luck!