Dressing Change After TT?

Each surgeon has his or her own preference. I send my tummy tuck patients to an aftercare facility overnight, and like to see them in the office one day after surgery for a checkup to see how they are doing, if any of the dressings need to be changed, to make sure the drain care is being done properly, and review postoperative instructions and answer any questions. The second postoperative visit is scheduled for the following week, when one or both drains are ready to come out. Even if it is your plastic surgeon's normal routine to wait a week after surgery to see you, if you want to see him or her sooner, I recommend asking for an earlier appointment, especially if the dressings are wet and you weren't instructed on how to change them. If your dressing is dry and clean, you are not at increased risk of infection by having the dressing changed a week after surgery.

There are many different dressing options after a tummy tuck.  These include dressings that are changed at 48 hours post-op, dressings that are changed at a week post-op, and skin glues that don't require any dressing at all to be placed after the surgery.  It sounds like your surgeon has selected the second of these options.  I do not think this should alter your risk of infection.  Good luck

     There is no standard for dressing changes.  One week is fine.  If the office gave you some additional dressings you could change them yourself, or get additional dressings at a drug store and change them.

Thank you for your question.  Every surgeon does it alittle different.  It would certainly be an issue  to see you at two weeks but one week is reasonable.  I usually wait five  days or so.  This allows me to maybe take out one of two drains  and clean the area well.  It is not easy for you  to get to the office , so we try to make each appt. count.  Your PS is very experienced.  If you are having any type of issue he will see you earlier.

There are many theories and indications to change a post operative dressingSince the surgery was done under sterile conditions the inside of the dressing is sterile and does not need to be changed immediately after surgery.  Some believe it is good to leave the dressing on for at least a week, since this gives time for the wound to start healing before being exposed to an unsterile environment.  Once the dressing is removed the surgical incision is no longer considered sterile.  I usually remove the surgical dressing in the first few days after surgery to take a look at the incision. The incision is still covered with another layer of dressing tape directly stuck to the skin which I do not remove until it falls off on its own.

It does not seem that you have anything to worry about. Instead, you should be worrying about how your old clothes wont fit anymore and all the new ones you will have to buy after your tummy tuck heals!

Every plastic surgeon has their opinion about post-operative care. In my practice we usually replace steri-strips 1 week after surgery. Steri-strips keep the incisons covered and together to prevent infection. We recommend that these are replaced in the office because we are trained and know how to properly change the dressings.

There are many different post operative dressing regimen. If you trust your surgeon with surgery, allow he or she to continue to manage your post operative care. There are no right or wrong ways to go about it, just each surgeon's preference.

Best Wishes, 

Wounds take a minimum of 72 hours to re-epithelialize before the top layer of the wound is sealed. Some surgeons prefer to not use dressings at all, to remove them the day after surgery, or to keep them in place for 3-7 days.  The dressing is placed under sterile conditions and should not significantly increase your risk of a wound infection, in fact it may be protective.  In this situation, there is probably not an absolutely right or wrong answer.  Best wishes.

Congratulations on having undergone the tummy tuck procedure. I do not think that you have to be concerned about your plastic surgeon's recommendations;  leaving dressings on for the week proposed will not necessarily increase  the risk of infection.

 Keep in mind that there are many different ways to handle many aspects of your postoperative care;  follow your plastic surgeons recommendations and do not allow “reviews” to increase your anxiety level.

 Best wishes for a smooth recovery. 

I usually cover the incision with a layer of steri-strips.  This tape covers and protects the incision during the early healing period.  I generally have the patient change the dressing the next day.  Some times when it is left on too long it can begin to smell but it is not harmful to the healing process.