Bunched up skin, is this normal? 1 week post-op TT. (Photos)

Several factors need to be considered in this situation, one of which is the angle of the picture and the other is the very early postoperative period.  Based on a single picture from an angle that appears to be bird's eye (from your head looking down) rather than straight on, it's really too early to judge whether or not this is normal.  It is quite possible that swelling is causing the issue and will resolve over time.  As others have suggested, a revision may be necessary if the part that seems bunched does not resolve, but I would recommend waiting months before making that decision (usually at least 6 months and sometimes longer) to allow resolution of swelling and to allow your body to heal properly.  Having your surgeon see you in person tomorrow will be of a huge help and reassurance for you and remember that no one can give you a better opinion than your doctor who will be able to assess you directly and knows the details of the surgery.  Best of luck with your continued recovery!

The remaining stretch marks after your abdominoplasty can create significant contour issues as evidenced in the photograph. Nothing to do for now except let the healing process continue.

Thanks for the question. Its too early to talk about final results with only 1 week post op. Tomorrow when you visit your surgeon explain to him all your doubts and follow all his advices to have a recovery without complications and to have the best results. Kind regards 

Dear Shellie,   Thanks for submitting your before and after pictures. Since you had significant skin laxity and diffuse stretch marks before surgery, your skin is more prone to have  swelling after surgery , and it is possible that the binder was not evenly positioned on your stomach, causing one side to swell up more than the other. Re applying the binder evenly, might reduce the swelling and flatten the skin, eliminating the irregularities.  Obviously, you should be seen by your surgeon after one week, so he or she might rule out other possible problems like seroma, hematoma etc.                 Best of luck.                                  Dr Widder

Thank you for sharing your question and photographs.  It is difficult to offer definite advice without an in-person examination but there is some irregularity to your incision that may be residual swelling from surgery which will spontaneously resolve but it would be important to voice your concerns to your surgeon to ensure that other issues are not taking place - discrete fluid collection, muscle laxity, or residual adipose tissue. If this is excess skin and adipose tissue a revision may be needed once you are fully healed.  Hope this helps.

The skin quality impacts the quality of the closure in  many ways. It is too hard to say so early in the post-op period.

I recommend you check in with your surgeon. There is some irregularity but it is very early in your recovery. Best wishes. 

Thank you for your question, and congratulations on your recent surgery. Your skin may look bunched up because of the way the binder was placed - and, chances are, after a couple weeks, it will smooth out just fine. I wouldn't be overly concerned with how things look right now. It will take time for everything to heal and for your skin to relax. However, if it concerns you, I would suggest speaking directly with your Plastic Surgeon. Best of luck! 

Thank you for your question. It is too early to tell if there are any issues. Also it is hard to tell from the pictures. Things do change a lot over the first 3 months or more. I would recommend close follow up with your plastic surgeon who should be able to give you an accurate estimate of what to expect.

Yes this appears to be abnormal. This is either to under resection of excess skin or due to technical issues at the time of closure. Revision is usually is done after 6 weeks in post operative period.