If you’ve had a tummy tuck, you want to make sure your incision stays clean and free of infection. That way, you can continue to heal properly and avoid any complications that might come with an infected incision.The first thing you should do is check for redness or swelling around the incision site. If you notice any of these symptoms in addition to pus or fluid seeping from your incision, contact your doctor immediately.
You may also experience pain around your surgical area—especially if you have a drainage tube in place. This is normal, but if it gets worse or persists after several days, call your doctor right away. If you’re not sure whether or not something is wrong with your incision site, call us today at [phone number]. We’re happy to help!
Read on to learn more ON How Do You Know If Your Tummy Tuck Incision Is Infected, Tummy Tuck Incision Infection Treatment AND My Tummy Tuck Incision Is Leaking Yellow Fluid
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How Do You Know If Your Tummy Tuck Incision Is Infected
Infection is always a potential risk after any type of surgery, and plastic surgery is no exception. Even though many plastic surgeries are done to change or enhance some aspect of a person’s appearance, rather than for medical reasons, such procedures still involve making incisions in the skin. Because the skin provides a natural barrier against bacteria that can cause infection, any opening in the skin can leave the door wide open for unwanted bugs.
Post-Plastic Surgery Infections
An infection that takes hold after surgery can cause a person to become very ill. In the case of plastic surgery, it also can have an enormous impact on the final outcome—how you look afterward. If an incision becomes infected, for example, it may not heal properly, leaving an unsightly scar—not exactly what you’re looking for after a procedure meant to enhance your appearance.
Sometimes an infection after a procedure such as a tummy tuck requires an incision to be reopened in order to drain pus or infected fluid, again creating a more noticeable and unsightly scar. And in the case of a surgery that involves an implant, such as breast augmentation or chin augmentation, if an infection manages to spread from the incision to the implant, the implant may have to be removed. Most doctors will wait three to six months before trying to place a new implant.
Pre-Op Precautions
Preventing infection after plastic surgery actually starts before a surgeon makes the first cut. The room you’ll have your surgery in will be cleaned and sterilized, the doctor and staff will be dressed in proper surgical attire (scrubs, gloves, face masks), the area of your body to be operated on will be prepped with an antiseptic—all part of what’s called aseptic technique.
If despite these infection-preventive practices bacteria still find their way into an incision, it’s likely not a problem: In the majority of cases, the body’s own defense mechanisms will step in and destroy the invaders before they can settle in and multiply.
Overall, the risk of infection after plastic surgery for most people is very low—about 1 percent.
Some folks are more susceptible than others, including those who have diabetes, smoke, take steroids, or have certain vascular conditions. The longer a procedure takes the higher the risk of infection as well.1
What You Can Do to Avoid Infection
This doesn’t mean if you’re planning to have plastic surgery there’s nothing you need to do to help protect yourself from infection. Start by making sure the doctor you work with is fully qualified and experienced. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) advises looking for a plastic surgeon who’s board-certified.2
Your plastic surgeon will have specific instructions for how you should prepare for your procedure. Follow them! If you smoke and you’re advised to quit, for example, do it. The healthier you are going into surgery, the better able your immune system will be able to kick in if necessary.3
Signs and Symptoms
After your procedure, it’s important to be on the lookout for signs and symptoms of an infection. Call your surgeon right away if you experience any of these:
- Fever greater than 101.5 F
- Increased pain at the incision site
- Increased redness at the incision site4
- Increased warmth at the incision site
- Foul odor coming from the incision
- Discharge draining from the incision4
Tummy Tuck Incision Infection Treatment
The most common cause of infection at the incision site is infection with bacteria. The bacteria can enter through the incision and spread to the surrounding tissues, causing an infection.
Treatment for Tummy Tuck Infection
Treatment for a tummy tuck incisional infection will vary depending on several factors, including:
The extent of the infection
The location of the infection
The person’s overall health status
The type of bacteria involved
A tummy tuck incision infection is a complication that can occur after your tummy tuck surgery. The infection is usually caused by bacteria present on the skin and in the wound before surgery.
Infections are rare, but they can cause serious problems if not treated promptly. In the event of a tummy tuck incision infection, you’ll need treatment with antibiotics (either pills or injections) to kill the bacteria causing the infection and to reduce swelling, redness, and pain in the area around your incision.
After you’ve been treated for a tummy tuck incision infection, you may need additional treatment — such as another surgery or steroid injections — to help prevent future infections from occurring.
A tummy tuck is a surgical procedure that removes excess fat and skin from the abdominal wall. It is performed on patients who have loose or sagging skin after pregnancy, significant weight loss or ageing. The surgery involves making an incision around the navel to remove excess skin, followed by liposuction of the flanks (sides), lower abdomen and back. The surgeon then tightens the muscles in the stomach area by sewing them together with very fine stitches.
Tummy tuck incision infection treatment
A tummy tuck incision infection is a rare complication but it can be extremely painful and affect your recovery if not treated properly. Usually, the first sign of an infection is redness around the wound site which may feel warm to touch. If left untreated, the infection can spread into deeper layers of tissue causing pain and swelling.
What causes tummy tuck incision infections?
There are several risk factors that increase your chances of developing an infection following any type of surgery:
My Tummy Tuck Incision Is Leaking Yellow Fluid
I have had a tummy tuck and lipo on my upper and lower abdomen as well as back fat removal. I am 7 weeks post op and the incisions are leaking yellow fluid. The doctor says it is normal but I am not sure if this is true or not.
I had surgery on December 12th and went back to work on January 5th. My job requires me to sit at a desk all day long so the first week was very difficult because my stomach muscles were still very tight and painful. I had drains in both sides of my abdomen for 7 days but they were removed on January 2nd, which was a relief because it was very uncomfortable having them in for that long time period.
My incisions have healed nicely with no visible scarring except for one small area on my lower abdomen where there is some redness around the incision site that hasn’t gone away yet (it has been about 3 weeks). However, there is yellowish green fluid coming out of both sides of my belly button incisions which we think may be infected pus from inside of my body because when we press down on these areas it hurts really bad (like a bruise) and sometimes there will be little drops of blood mixed with this yellowish green fluid coming
I had a tummy tuck and liposuction on March 4th. I have been leaking yellow fluid from the area where my incision is located. The doctor has told me that this is normal and that it could take up to 6 months for the fluid to go away completely. It does not seem like it’s going away at all though. I am worried about this because it looks very bad and I don’t know if it’s ok or not.
I have been doing my exercises as prescribed, but I am afraid that this might cause permanent damage to my skin if I keep doing them too soon after surgery. It’s been almost 2 weeks since my surgery, so should I be concerned about this?