How do I get rid of tummy tuck swelling? I’m one year post-op (Photo)

Hello, if the issue is excess fat outside the abdomen (under the skin) then liposuction will help you. I wish you the best of luck. Vasileios Vasilakis, MD. Double board certified, fellowship-trained plastic surgeon. Houston, TX.

You should see your plastic surgeon to understand if you have fat under the skin or is it visceral fat or fat inside the tummy . If it is mainly because of visceral fat, you should consider losing weight to address the issue. Fat under the skin can be addressed with some liposuction.

Dear Calm93900,
I understand your concern. However, without a proper assessment, it would be difficult to determine what went wrong. It is best that you visit your plastic surgeon for further assessment or ask for a second opinion. Only after a thorough examination, you can get proper recommendations and advice.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Thank you for sharing your question and photographs. At a year's time swelling is not likely causing a significant change in your appearance and I would discuss with your surgeon the possibility of visceral fat contributing to the outward curvature of your abdomen. If this is the cause, weight loss is the best option at improving upon your surgical results.

From your photos it appears that the result you are seeing is a result of visceral fat versus swelling. This is the fat around your organs which cannot be addressed by the tummy tuck or liposuction, but is reduced through losing weight. I encourage you to discuss your concerns with your surgeon.

Thank you for your pictures. Your problem is not really a plastic surgery issue.

Consider a weight reduction procedure before more cosmetic surgery. Your results will be much better.

Hello and greetings from Turkey. The in-person consultation is needed to understand what kind of treatment should be performed but as far as I understand from your photos you have visceral fat which neither liposuction nor tummy tuck are solution for the visceral fat. You should pay attention to your diet and exercise to loose weight and get rid of the visceral fat. There is no surgical treatment that helps you to get rid of them at the moment.

Hi and welcome to our forum!
From your photos, I note a full abdomen. The scars are still red, suggesting that healing is not yet complete. I am unable to ascertain if this represents accumulation of fat beneath the skin or internal visceral fat. The abdominal wall repair has already been performed. A physical examination is required.
Superficial fat is addressed with liposuction, abdominal wall repair is accomplished with abdominoplasty (already accomplished), and visceral fat is addressed with a regimen of diet and exercise. A physical examination is required to differentiate among these entities.
BMI, or body mass index (weight in kg / square of height in meters) is one criterion to determine the results of a cosmetic surgery. You can find BMI calculators on the internet. If your BMI is greater than 30, the cosmetic result will not be optimal. If your BMI is greater than 35, your operative risk will rise. Your BMI is 30.78.

I don't think you are totally healed. It takes 12-24 months for the healing process to be completed.

You appear to be assuming that the problem is superficial fat deposition as you are considering fat reduction modalities.
Kybella is only approved by the FDA for submental injection, but there is often off label use. I don't recommend it for fat reduction of large areas. Coolscupting is relatively inefficient (when compared to liposuction) but may reduce areas of fat abundance.
It may be best to wait a bit longer for complete healing. Abdominal exercises may increase muscle tone. Consider weight reduction as well.
Best wishes...