What Happens to the Sutures Used to Corset Your Stomach Muscles Together?

If dissolvable sutures are used, then they will be absorbed by your body. If permanent sutures are used, then the remain in the location where the surgeon placed them. Some would argue that the permanent sutures have a more long lasting effect.  Others would say that both work well. I am more confident in the ability of the permanent sutures to hold.

There are two options for the sutures used to do the corset during a tummy tuck.  Permanent suture such as Nylon or Prolene or dissolvable sutures such as Maxon or PDS.    Either can be used with excellent results and surgeons differ on which they prefer.  The permanent sutures will remain there forever but are rarely felt except in very thin people.  The dissolving sutures will gradually disappear over approximately 4 months.  This length of time allows the fascia which was sutured together to gain enough strength to hold itself together.  I prefer the dissolving sutures so no foreign material is left behind.

When you have a tummy tuck and the muscle is tightened most physicians use either a permanent suture (it never dissolves) OR a very long lasting suture.

In my Salt Lake City, UT practice I use 2 layers of permanent suture. These sutures are placed in a way so you cannot feel or see them.

What happens to the sutures used to plicate the abdominal wall muscles depends on whether they are permanent or absorbable. A majority of American plastic surgeons used the permanent which means that they persist forever and rarely present a problem ( this can also depend on the type of permanent suture used). 

Stitches are used to bring and hold body tissues together. In the majority of cases the holdng needs to only be as long as the srructures get sothered together and held by the scar tissue which accompanies surgery. Depending on which structures are held and how long a strong unin is needed surgeons use either dissolving or permanent stitches. Dissolving stitches gradually go away leaving no trace while permanent stitches remain. Plastic surgeons are divided on the best way to repair he split and stretched out tummy muscles; Some use dissolving while others use permanent stitches. Either way, they will pose you no harm in the future. 

In the United States most plastic surgeons use permanent stitches to repair the muscle which remain in place.  Absorbable or dissolvable stitches go away over time.  Many European surgeons use these type of stitches.  So we know that either kind can be used and give good results.

Thank you for your question.

The abdominal wall muscle plication is an important part of most tummy tuck procedures. This plication  serves to reappriximate  the rectus muscles in the midline,  tightening the abdominal wall as well as narrowing the waistline. Sometimes, plication  of the external oblique muscles can also be helpful.

I use a 2 layered permanent suture repair to plicate the abdominal wall muscles;  these sutures remain in place forever.

I hope this helps.

Different plastic surgeons use different suture materials to perform the muscle plication in abdominoplasties or tummy tucks.  I prefer to use a nylon suture which is a permanent suture and does not dissolve.  This can rarely be felt except in extremely thin individuals.  Other surgeons may use a dissolving suture material, but I am less trusting of these.

What happens to the sutures to tighten the muscles depends on whether your surgeon uses permanent or dissolvable ones.  I personally use very strong dissolvable ones because your tissues gain their full healing strength after about 8 weeks and the sutures dissolve after maybe 4 months once they are no longer needed.  Permanent sutures can cause some permanent discomforts while being active and since they are not necessary to hold the muscles together, I choose not to use them.  I have never had to re-reapir the muscles using dissolvable sutures.