I had an arm lift a month ago. Plastic surgeon said my body was pushing the dissolvable stitches out. Is this normal? (Photo)

Question

2 wks ago I had areas to open up and drain. Plastic surgeon dug into each opening with tweezers and started yanking them out leaving the openings much bigger. Mind you..he has done this 4 times already in 2 wks. He used silver nitrate in the open areas & said to cover with gauze at all times. Is this normal??

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question about post-operative healing after an arm lift or brachioplasty.  What you are describing is not “normal”, but is not uncommon.  After an arm lift or brachioplasty, buildup of fluid (seroma) or blood (hematoma) can happen.  Sometimes the fluid accumulation is too much and causes pressure on the incision.  Too much pressure causes the incision to open and fluid to drain.  The non-functioning, hanging sutures need to be removed so that the sutures will not become infected.  
  
It appears that your plastic surgeon is doing all the right things.  I would suggest following his or her advice.  Rest assured, these arms wounds will heal.  They just need time to heal from the bottom of the wound upward.  If you have any other questions regarding post-operative healing from an arm lift or brachioplasty, please contact my office.  Sincerely, Dr. J. Timothy Katzen

Orna Fisher, MD · Answer

What happened to you is not that uncommon. Even though certain suture material is dissolvable, not everybody's body processes it the same way. In some people like yourself, the body perceives it as a foreign object and "spits it out".  The area where the suture is coming out gets inflamed and can form a small area of infection, this is known as a suture abscess.  The only thing to do is local wound care until it heals. If you are unhappy with the scar later, you can have a scar revision which would entail using a different type of suture than the one your body did not react well to.  If you do opt for this, I recommend waiting at least six months to a year before having the scar revision.  Not everyone needs a scar revision. Oftentimes the scars look just fine or I can be helped with a laser treatment.

Stefan Mark Szczerba, MD · Answer

It happens for sure!  I think all surgeons struggle as to which sutures "spit" out of the wound the least.  I certainly have tailored by my sutures options over the years.  Eventually these areas will heal fine and a scar revision may be necessary after the scar matures.  Best Wishes!!

Aldo Guerra, MD · Answer

You have small wounds and this could have been started by your body "spitting out" the internal sutures. This is pretty common, especially with long incisions. At this point, good wound care and appropriate follow up with your plastic surgeon is the best approach.

Harry T. Haramis, MD, FACS · Answer

It is not uncommon for some deep sutures to come to the surface as they dissolve. Local wound care usually allows these to heal over several weeks to months.Close follow up with your plastic surgeon is recommended during this time.

I had an arm lift a month ago. Plastic surgeon said my body was pushing the dissolvable stitches out. Is this normal? (Photo)

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Answer: It happens .... a lot.

Answer: It happens .... a lot.

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I had an arm lift a month ago. Plastic surgeon said my body was pushing the dissolvable stitches out. Is this normal? (Photo)

Answers (10)

Answer: It happens .... a lot.

Answer: It happens .... a lot.

Answer: Arm lift

Answer: Arm lift

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Arm Lift

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