Did I drain correctly? I have a little jiggle on my left side. Is this still tumescent fluid? Is it a bad thing? What do I do?

Question

I have gotten tumescent liposuction on my abdomen and sides 5 days ago. There are 3 incisions near my bikini line, one incision at the bottom of each sides and the top. My left side seems to have more of the tumescent fluid left behind (may be due to having to add more fluid during procedure on that side) vs my right side which seems to be completely drained. My incisions were left open and are now closing except the left side bikini incision which still gets a little wet & VERY SMALL leakage.

Sugene Kim, MD, FACS · Answer

Drainage through the incision after tumescent liposuction is common.It should stop fairly soon after surgery.Please keep the compression garment and follow up with your plastic surgeon.

David Finkle, MD · Answer

Seromas are a collection of fluid, usually plasma, lymph and liquefied fat cells that can accumulate after any procedure. They need to be drained, to allow the skin to "stick" back down. This is a simple office visit where a small needle is placed through a numb skin area to aspirate the fluid. A compression dressing/garment is then placed to help prevent a repeat seroma. Most seromas will drain for weeks, be patient and allow your surgeon to drain these as often as needed.  Any person can drain a seroma, even a nurse.Good Luck!

John A. Millard, MD, FACS · Answer

The feeling of the "jiggle" is totally normal after this procedure and is because of the detached nerve endings (That will reattach over the next 3-4 months) that happens with all liposuction.  Swelling one one side vs. the other can be different based on the way we lay or sleep.  The one thing to watch for is a seroma (fluid collection) which isn't an emergency, but eventually needs to be drained to prevent a deformity.  So, its's always important to keep your follow up appointments, as this is one of the main things they are looking for during the early post-operative period.  having a bit of leakage at five days is also norma.  In my patients the drainage and leakage varies between 3 days and almost two weeks.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

You just had surgery, and you may drain a bit more and will take many weeks for the swelling to go down. Best of luck.

Did I drain correctly? I have a little jiggle on my left side. Is this still tumescent fluid? Is it a bad thing? What do I do?

Answers (4)

Answer: Lipo and drainage

Answer: Lipo and drainage

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Everything you need to know about Tumescent Liposuction

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Did I drain correctly? I have a little jiggle on my left side. Is this still tumescent fluid? Is it a bad thing? What do I do?

Answers (4)

Answer: Lipo and drainage

Answer: Lipo and drainage

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Tumescent Liposuction

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.