Should I be concerned about a seroma that developed after an abdominoplasty?

Hello,Thank you for your question. If you truly have a seroma, it will not solidify, though it may become harder to treat as the inner walls thicken. You could have ultrasound imaging done to determine how much fluid is there. I recommend that you continue to follow up with your plastic surgeon.All the best 

 Thank you very much for this relevant question. seroma is a very common complication after abdominoplasty. Where most of the time the body will re-absorb the fluid that will accumulate some times the quantity will necessitate to evacuate the fluid. If the seroma keeps reoccurring sometimes a medication has to be injected into the cavity to fuse and close it. With normal management a seroma is not going to be a problem for the end result. Have a wonderful rest of the day and greetings from the beautiful island of Jamaica

Seromas will occasionally occur after abdominoplasty.  If managed properly, a seroma should not affect your long-term results or cause any further complications. The treatment is to simply aspirate the fluid as was done in your case. Sometimes several aspirations are required. It sounds like your surgeon has managed your seroma appropriately.  Don’t be concerned that no fluid came out with the last aspiration attempt.  This is a good thing, provided that the needle was properly placed.  If you are concerned that there is fluid present that might have been missed by the NP attempting to aspirate it, I would discuss it with the surgeon and request that he or she personally examines you.  Continue to follow your surgeon’s instructions. Best wishes!

Serums can occur and often they do need to be drained. The drainage will stop at some point and the fluid will be resorbed. Best to stay in contact with your PS. 

Thank you for your question. A seroma is common after tummy tuck and can be drained relatively easily. If you have fluid (seen with a fluid wave) the seroma is still present . It is  possible that the NP missed the pocket and was unable to aspirate the fluid. A seroma will not solidify. I recommend seeing the PS and seeing if he can aspirate it. Good luck with your recovery. 

Hi - it is very common to have a seroma build up in the abdomen after surgery.  I see my patients weekly to drain the fluid, if required.  It is unlikely that if there is fluid it can't be drained.  If it is haematoma then that is a different scenario.  
Have your surgeon examine you again & ask them to determine if it is actually fluid or residual swelling.  An ultrasound scan may help determine the difference & aid in guiding the aspiration of the fluid (but in my experience I've never had to do this!).
If you aren't happy, then head back in to your surgeons office.  I'm sure it will also improve over time.   All the best
Kim

It doesn't s sound right to me. If you had 80 cc's aspirated, often another round of aspirations would likely be required.  Waiting long in-between aspirations is not a good idea either. It will likely result in a pseudobursa.

Thanks for your question.It is not uncommon to have a seroma post op following an abdominoplasty.  Usually it requires needle aspiration (removal) at least once or twice.  If they were not successful the second time removing any fluid, it means one of two things:There is no more fluid left.They did not get into the correct spot to aspirate the fluid properly.When this happens to me, I have the patient back one week later to re-evaluate the area.  If there is a 'fluid wave' that can be seen or felt, I aspirate once more to make sure I did not miss it the last time.  IF not, it can be fluid inside the cells which will resolve over the next few weeks/months.Best of luck.Dr T

Seroma in abdominoplasty, although not desirable, is fairly common, unfortunately.
Have your surgeon and NP referred you to intervention radiology to consider ultrasound guided aspiration?  
Thank you for your question