Do I have cellulitis or another infection 18 days po tummy tuck? (Photo)

Question

I am18 days po tummy tuck. I am concerned about swelling, coloring , scar separation (?) and soreness around drain site and incision from my operation. These photos were taken late in the evening .

Gary Lawton, MD, FACS · Answer

You do not have swelling out of the ordinary, you do not have cellulitis, you do not have abnormal coloring of the scar.

Shlomo Widder, MD · Answer

Dear PAVA,  Thanks for submitting your pictures.    From observing the picture, I do not see any signs of infection and the wound is healing well. The coloring appears normal and there does not seem to be separation of the wound. The swelling will improve noticeably in 6-8 weeks. The soreness of the drain site will disappear, once the drain wound heals completely.  There might be other issues like the belly button and the muscles tightening, but you will have to be patient for 2-3 months for final assessment.    All the best,                          Dr Widder

Nelson Castillo, MD · Answer

Thank you for your posted question and photographs. It appears that you are in fact healing well after surgery with the redness around your drain sites likely from skin irritation rather than a skin infection.  If you have felt or seen a negative change in your recovery, reach out to your surgeon for an evaluation. Best wishes.

Jeffrey A. Sweat, MD · Answer

Based on your photos, it would appear as though you are healing normally.  However, if you have increasing pain, redness, soreness, discharge from your incision, or fever and chills, these are all symptoms of infection and should be relayed to your plastic surgeon ASAP.  Otherwise it would appears that you are progressing as expected.  Best of luck with your continued recovery!

Darryl J. Blinski, MD · Answer

Seems you are NOT receiving good postop care visits with ALL these posted questions? Maybe you should pay for in person second pinions to be sure everything OK. Over the internet very hard to be accurate.

Anh Lee, MD, FACS · Answer

Based on your pics, it looks like you are healing fine.  But is you are experiencing pain, redness, fevers, foul discharge then you will need to be checked out by your PS.  Best wishes!

Robin Evans, MD, FRCSC · Answer

Hello and thanks for your question with the photos.  Based on the pictures, it does not appear that you are infected.  It looks like you are healing well.  However, if you are having fevers, chills, increasing redness or any other symptoms you should connect with your plastic surgeon right away. Otherwise it looks like you have a great result so far!

Geoffrey Barnett, MBBS, FRACS (retired) · Answer

Thank you for sending in your pictures in for comment following your concern as to the colour of your stomach and the ongoing healing.

It is hard to tell from these photos whether there is any cellulitis or redness at all. The upper flap does appear a little oedematous.  I would suggest that if you have any concerns that you return to your Board Certified Plastic Surgeon for review.

Best wishes in your recovery.

Do I have cellulitis or another infection 18 days po tummy tuck? (Photo)

Answers (8)

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