Tummy Tuck without Drains Vs. with Drains?
Tummy tucks are extremely common as patients often want to restore their body to their pre-pregnancy state. There are several things that have made tummy tuck recovery much easier for patients.
One of the biggest advancements is that there are new techniques that allow your plastic surgeon to do a tummy tuck and not have to use drains. The technique is called progressive tension sutures. The sutures help secure the abdominal flap that is advanced down during your tummy tuck in position. By placing these sutures surgeons can often avoid the need for drains. This eliminates the area for the fluid to collect and your body can natural absorb what little fluid is produced as it typically does in your daily life.
Recovery from a tummy tuck is much easier without the drains as patients are able to walk after surgery without the worry of the drains being pulled on. It also avoids the pain and discomfort associated with the drains as they can irritate the skin where they exit the abdomen.
Please discuss your tummy tuck options with you plastic surgeon.
What is the difference between drain or no drains for a Tummy Tuck?
The no drain tummy tuck has continued to increase in popularity over the past several years as surgeon have gained experience in the procedure. I personally rarely ever use drains in my tummy tucks and I have been extremely happy with the results. The purpose of the drains is to prevent a seroma (collection of fluid in the abdomen), the no drain tummy tuck prevents this fluid collection by using a technique called progressive tension sutures.
Progressive tension sutures hold the abdominal skin in place and avoid any space for fluid to collect. By placing these sutures the body can absorb the fluid that is made in the abdomen naturally as it did before your tummy tuck. Without the sutures there is a large space where the fluid can collect and that is why the drains are needed to remove that fluid and prevent a seroma.
The biggest reason that I have been doing the no drain tummy tuck is that it makes recovery from a tummy tuck much easier. Without the drains patients are able to walk after surgery without the worry of the drains being pulled on. It also avoids the pain and discomfort associated with the drains as they can irritate the skin where they exit the abdomen.
Please discuss your tummy tuck options with you plastic surgeon.
Drains or No Drain Tummy Tuck- Which Has Better Overall Results, Recovery and Safety?
This is a great question as it can be difficult to decide which procedure is right for you with so many options available for your tummy tuck. There are several ways to do a tummy tuck, I personally rarely ever use drains in my tummy tucks and I have been extremely happy with the success of it. It varies from plastic surgeon to plastic surgeon on how they perform the procedure. However this does not make a traditional tummy tuck with drains a bad procedure. Both procedures can result in great results and are equally safe when done correctly.
The biggest reason that I have been doing the no drain tummy tuck is that it makes recovery from a tummy tuck much easier. Without the drains patients are able to walk after surgery without the worry of the drains being pulled on. It also avoids the pain and discomfort associated with the drains as they can irritate the skin where they exit the abdomen.
The reason patients can avoid drains is that I place what is called progressive tension sutures. The sutures hold the abdominal skin in place and avoid any space for fluid to collect. By placing these sutures the body can absorb the fluid that is made in the abdomen naturally as it did before your tummy tuck. The vast majority of patients do extremely well with this new method of tummy tuck and tend to recover much faster because it is easier for them to move after surgery.
Please discuss your tummy tuck options with you plastic surgeon.
