Dear doctors, I am having a mini tummy tuck soon. My surgeon mentioned he performs both drain and drainless tummy tucks. He said he’s 50/50. He said something he doesn’t like about drainless is that the skin has no space in between the muscle and that’s just not natural. I don’t really understand what he meant by this. How does that change anything to me? I have read a bit about drainless and it seems safer overall. Can you tell me if that statement is true for a mini tummy tuck? Thank you
Answer: Is drainless mini tummy tuck better than using drains? Hello, I previously used drains for all tummy tuck surgery, but after I switched to the drainless technique years ago I rarely use drains. Initially I was reluctant to switch because I was concerned about the internal sutures (called "quilting sutures" or "sequential tension sutures") causing puckering of the overlying skin, or having increased risk of fluid collections (hematoma or seroma). I haven't seen in increase in skin contour irregularities, and although I do get the occasional fluid collection with the drainless technique, this also happened even when I used drains. A drain can't be left in too long or an infection will occur around the drain site on your skin. Once the drain is pulled your body still needs to absorb excess fluid (just like it does with the drainless technique). Although the drainless technique takes longer to perform and therefore is more expensive for the surgeon (because drains are inexpensive and quick to insert compared to doing a sequential tension suture closure), my patients are happy not to deal with the drain maintenance and I haven't seen an increased risk of complications in my practice. Please note this is my personal perspective and other surgeons might find they get good results with drains. I don't know what your surgeon means about the drainless technique changing the space between the muscle, but they would probably be happy to clarify this for you.
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Answer: Is drainless mini tummy tuck better than using drains? Hello, I previously used drains for all tummy tuck surgery, but after I switched to the drainless technique years ago I rarely use drains. Initially I was reluctant to switch because I was concerned about the internal sutures (called "quilting sutures" or "sequential tension sutures") causing puckering of the overlying skin, or having increased risk of fluid collections (hematoma or seroma). I haven't seen in increase in skin contour irregularities, and although I do get the occasional fluid collection with the drainless technique, this also happened even when I used drains. A drain can't be left in too long or an infection will occur around the drain site on your skin. Once the drain is pulled your body still needs to absorb excess fluid (just like it does with the drainless technique). Although the drainless technique takes longer to perform and therefore is more expensive for the surgeon (because drains are inexpensive and quick to insert compared to doing a sequential tension suture closure), my patients are happy not to deal with the drain maintenance and I haven't seen an increased risk of complications in my practice. Please note this is my personal perspective and other surgeons might find they get good results with drains. I don't know what your surgeon means about the drainless technique changing the space between the muscle, but they would probably be happy to clarify this for you.
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October 27, 2022
Answer: Drainless tummy tucks Drainless tummy tucks are based on the idea of progressive tension sutures (PTS), which tack the flap down to the muscle. I've been doing PTS for more than 20 years and it does dramatically reduce the amount of fluid that comes out it in the drain. However, the amount isn't zero, and I think it is better to have it come out into a drain rather than accumulate. So drainless isn't necessarily safer.
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October 27, 2022
Answer: Drainless tummy tucks Drainless tummy tucks are based on the idea of progressive tension sutures (PTS), which tack the flap down to the muscle. I've been doing PTS for more than 20 years and it does dramatically reduce the amount of fluid that comes out it in the drain. However, the amount isn't zero, and I think it is better to have it come out into a drain rather than accumulate. So drainless isn't necessarily safer.
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October 17, 2022
Answer: Drains Drains are helpful to collect fluids from the surgical area as you heal. They help to prevent seroma formation and are typically only left in for 3-10 days depending on output. Your surgeon will let you know what is recommended for you based on the details of your surgery as well as your medical history.
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October 17, 2022
Answer: Drains Drains are helpful to collect fluids from the surgical area as you heal. They help to prevent seroma formation and are typically only left in for 3-10 days depending on output. Your surgeon will let you know what is recommended for you based on the details of your surgery as well as your medical history.
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October 16, 2022
Answer: Tummy tuck Dear RealSelfMember09903993,
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October 16, 2022
Answer: Tummy tuck Dear RealSelfMember09903993,
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October 14, 2022
Answer: Mi no tummy tuck The surgery can be done with or without a drain. That’s something I would leave entirely up to the surgeon and should be the about the last thing to concern yourself with. It’s fine either way and the drain is no big deal at all
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October 14, 2022
Answer: Mi no tummy tuck The surgery can be done with or without a drain. That’s something I would leave entirely up to the surgeon and should be the about the last thing to concern yourself with. It’s fine either way and the drain is no big deal at all
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