Is Skin Glue More Effective Them Stitches for a Full TT with Lipo?

Most surgeons will be using a lot of stitches for all of the inside work. That's what holds you together till your body heals. When it comes to the skin I like to use long lasting absorbable sutures that typically take about 2-3 months to dissolve. You don't see them because they are within the skin closure. Then I put a layer of glue over top. This way there are not any "railroad" tracks" which are visible marks across the skin. After surgery I like patients to apply tape across the scar for about 3 months. Easy and cheap. Works. Good luck.

The use of tissue #glue is to adhere the abdominal #skin to the #muscle. It is a new option and alternative to sutures in a tummy tuck. If you see a plastic #surgeon who uses drains, or if your situation requires drains, they usually stay in 3-5 days. However, they may be required to remain in longer than that. Your board-certified plastic surgeon should be recommending the surgical techniques best suited for you. Most importantly, communication  and asking questions of your surgeon and the staff are key.

No, the skin glue is not used to close your incision. It is typically used in conjunction with other removable or dissolvable sutures. When I am performing a Tummy Tuck, I prefer a combination of dissolvable sutures and also removable sutures. This is to guarantee my patient has the best results in my own personal opinion. 

To learn more, please visit our page on potential complications of a tummy tuck procedure.
 

There are many sutures under the skin holding the wound together, and the final closure layer is often either glue or a line of sutures under the skin.  I've used both and believe that they are similar as long as the deep strong stitches are placed correctly.  Glue has little inherent strength and should not be used to hold a surgical wound together by itself.

The only role for skin glue  is to seal the final incision, not to close the incision. The strength of the wound and scar will come from the sutures (stitches), not the glue. Consult with a board certified plastic surgeon for more detailed information on this particular issue.

 

The makers of Dermabond recently came out with a new product.  It's basically a tape that gets glued to the incision.  It's a great product that has allowed me to save time and it seals the incision.  The suture closure is the same so the strength of the closure is the same.  So glue isn't better than sutures but can be an asset.

No I do not think that glue  is “more effective” than sutures used for tummy tuck surgery. There are however many factors contribute to the final appearance of a scar after tummy tuck. For  example,  some patients are prone to develop keloid or hypertrophic scars despite the surgeon's  best efforts.  Some patients will develop superficial separations of the incision line, depending on the quality of the skin present (for example, stretched marked skin may not “hold” sutures as well as skin with normal thickness dermis).

On  the other hand, the surgeon may be able to control  the quality of the scar  with attention to certain  technical details. For example,  it is important to take as much tension off the final layer of closure as possible-  if tension is taken off the superficial layer (by using deep sutures)  the incision may heal with a finer line scar. Avoiding excessive excision of skin may also help avoid tension upon closure of the suture line.

The use of silicone-based products (creams or  sheeting)  may also be helpful in achieving the best scars  possible.

I hope this helps.

Hi.

The two ideas that lead to good safe results are preserving blood flow and preventing too much tension on the skin closure.  Internal quilting stitches help to reduce tension on the skin wound.

The best way to close the skin wound itself is with three rows of buried, dissolvable stitches.

Stitches are used for strength and placed so you cannot see them. Most of then will dissolve with time. I don't use glue. It does not make for a strong closure.