| Tummy tuck or abdominoplasty surgery still remains as | | | | low, patients still developed fluid collections weeks later |
| one of the most dramatic and satisfying of the many | | | | that required multiple in-office drainage procedures. |
| body plastic surgery procedures that are available. | | | | As an improvement to the tummy tuck procedure and |
| Removing loose skin and fat, tightening the rectus | | | | to eliminate their inconvenience and discomfort, I have |
| muscles, and narrowing the side of the waistline with | | | | adopted an innovation that makes the use of drains |
| liposuction always makes for a significant change in | | | | unnecessary in many abdominal contouring |
| one's waistline. Even when done in a more limited | | | | procedures. This is a technique known as 'quilting' or |
| version (mini-tummy tuck), the flattening effect is | | | | partially closing off the space in which fluids can |
| always appreciated. Despite these improvements, the | | | | accumulate. Using special sutures that tie-down the |
| one aspect of tummy tuck surgery that patients, and I, | | | | underside of the skin to the muscle, the typical 'dead |
| did not like was the need for postoperative wound | | | | space' left behind is closed down. Dead space refers |
| drainage. | | | | to the unhealed open area or layer between the |
| In the past, tummy tuck surgery (abdominoplasty) | | | | muscle and the overlying skin which is created from |
| always required the use of drains after surgery. | | | | the way that a tummy tuck has to be done. With little |
| Staying in place for up to two weeks after the | | | | space for fluids to accumulate, the need for drains |
| procedure, they were necessary to remove fluids that | | | | after surgery can be eliminated in many cases. This |
| accumulated from the open space or layer left behind. | | | | does add some extra surgery time, but to any patient |
| (between the underside of the skin and the | | | | who has ever had drains, that extra time would be |
| muscle)They could not be removed until enough | | | | viewed as a good investment! |
| internal healing had occurred as evidenced by a | | | | While not useful for every tummy tuck (really big ones |
| decrease in the amount of drainage that came out of | | | | still need drains), the majority of cosmetic abdominal |
| the tubes. By the time this happened, many patients | | | | contouring procedures can now be done without |
| had a fair amount of soreness from the skin areas | | | | drains. Even if a fluid collection or seroma does occur, |
| where the drains exited. In some cases, even though | | | | it is much smaller and needs less in-office drainage |
| drains were used and removed when their output was | | | | procedures later. |