Tummy Tuck With Or Withouth Drains< a drainless tummy tuck is commonly preferred by both surgeons and patients alike, due to the simplified, straightforward process. Unfortunately, not all patients do well with a brainless tummytuck. Thin patients without much fat in their belly show small contour irregularities easier than others.
There are many factors that determine a candidate’s suitability for a drainless or drains tummy tuck procedure. Your surgeon will recommend the procedure that best suits your unique situation. read on to learn more on pros and cons of a drainless tummy tuck and drainless tummy tuck risks.
Tummy Tuck With Or Withouth Drains
Now that we’re getting into the warm weather, tummy tucks are the talk of the town. In fact, tummy tucks are some of the most performed procedures in the country, year-round! Let’s talk a little bit about the different kinds of tummy tucks, including drainless vs drains tummy tucks, which option is best for you, and the next steps to take if you’ve been thinking about your own tummy tuck!
What’s The Difference
Typical tummy tucks include a drain, or tubing, as part of the recovery process. Since your body naturally produces liquid as an immune response (swelling) after surgery, surgeons will often install a drain in the abdominal cavity to collect excess liquid the body can’t absorb.
A drainless tummy tuck, on the other hand, uses sutures to close down the space between the skin and muscle tissue. Liquid from swelling distributes evenly through the abdomen making the fluid collection less noticeable.
Importantly, there can still be fluid buildup after a drainless tummy tuck. For best results, patients should wear the provided compression garments, avoid strenuous activity, and follow their surgical team’s recovery instructions as closely as possible.
Benefits Of Drainless Tummy Tucks
Generally speaking, the recovery time for both drains and drainless tummy tucks is the same. Patients can resume light activity 1-2 weeks after their procedure and full activity within 1-2 months. Both drainless and drains tummy tucks produce relatively identical results as well.
If recovery time and results are similar, why would a drainless tummy tuck be preferable?
For starters, a drainless procedure avoids drain-site irritation, a common minor byproduct of a traditional tummy tuck. Since there is no drain, there’s no need to install or remove it, which means when the procedure is done, the procedure is done!
Not to mention, since there’s no drain, there is no need to empty it or measure the amount of fluid collected. There’s also the peace of mind of not having to carry a drain around in your abdomen–or carving out time to have said drain removed in-office.
Pros And Cons Of A Drainless Tummy Tuck
Abdominoplasty, often referred to as a tummy tuck, is a cosmetic surgery procedure which targets the stubborn fat and loose skin often present on the abdomen following significant weight loss or pregnancy, while simultaneously tightening the abdominal muscles to flatten the stomach and improve the body’s contour. There are many different variations of this procedure including a full tummy tuck, mini tummy tuck, hybrid tummy tuck, and drainless tummy tuck. In order to help you determine whether a drainless tummy tuck is right for you, the advantages and disadvantages of the procedure are outlined below.
WHAT ARE DRAINAGE TUBES?
Although not always necessary, many procedures require the use of drainage tubes to prevent seroma, which is the buildup of bodily fluids. To ensure that these benign fluids do not fill up body cavities, tubes are used to drain the fluids from the body and into a collection bulb, which can be attached to the patient’s clothing.
ADVANTAGES OF A DRAINLESS TUMMY TUCK
One of the greatest advantages of a drainless tummy tuck is that it requires very little maintenance following the procedure. When drainage tubes are used, patients must empty them two to three times per day, as they fill up. In addition, they must monitor the liquid inside, observing its colour and keeping a meticulous record of the collection amounts for the 10 days the drains are in place. They must also be careful that the drains do not bend or kink when placed under their garments. Conversely, patients who undergo a drainless tummy tuck do not have to worry about the upkeep drains necessitate.
Although drains are sometimes necessary, most patients find them uncomfortable, with a tendency to get in the way. A tummy tuck will result in a cavity between the fat on top and the skin, which will naturally fill up with fluid, similar to how a blister fills up with fluid.
Following a tummy tuck procedure, all of that fluid is like the water in a waterbed sloshing around. If it remains this way, the area cannot heal, and the surfaces will be separated by the fluid, preventing them from healing together. After the two surfaces have healed together, there will be no place for fluid to accumulate. At that point, your surgeon can remove your drains, although it can take up to three weeks for this to happen.
How It Works
Drainless tummy tucks have been around long enough that many patients are aware of them and ask for this option. They work through many tiny sutures for sewing layers of fat and skin near the muscles, sealing off any potential cavity where fluid could accumulate. So the two layers are held together and heal together without moving.
Drainless Tummy Tuck: Pros
One key advantage of the drainless tummy tuck procedure is that not much maintenance is required afterward. Normally, patients who receive drainage tubes must empty them several times a day after filling up. They must also keep track of the liquid inside and note its color while maintaining detailed collection amounts while their drains are in place.
Patients with drains must also be careful not to kink or bend when under their clothes. Patients who undergo drainless tummy tuck procedures have no worries about maintaining drains, making the process smoother and more comfortable.
Another advantage of abdominoplasty without drainage is that you will be more comfortable recovering.
Drainless Tummy Tuck Risks
The traditional tummy tuck involves drains intended to carry fluid build-up resulting from the surgery away from the surgical site, which some find to be inconvenient.
Additional steps undertaken during surgery (outlined below) can eliminate the need for drainage tubes. Improving upon traditional methods, this technique not only provides comprehensive results but more mobility and no drainage tube care.
Plastic Surgery Center of Nashville is one of the few board-certified plastic surgery clinics in Tennessee offering our patients the “drainless tummy tuck.”
Continue reading to learn more about the careful execution of the drainless tummy tuck at The Plastic Surgery Center of Nashville. You can also check out our tummy tuck procedure page here, which mostly covers the traditional tummy tuck. Still, there you’ll find helpful youtube videos on our best tummy tuck candidates, information on exercising post-procedure, and a podcast on the intricacies of tummy tucks.
Best Candidates for Tummy Tuck
The tummy tuck is an excellent solution for those who have been striving to achieve fitness goals but are hitting a dead-end. Even with a strict diet and exercise regimens, the abdominal wall can be a particularly stubborn area to eliminate unwanted fat.
You may also be facing “diastasis recti” where left and right abdominal muscles separate, allowing stomach and bowels to flow forward. When this occurs in pregnant women (as it often does), the muscle opening can shrink back after delivery. However, it often leaves too many moms with a pronounced “pooch.”
Today’s men, too, are seeking tummy tucks. Often pairing this procedure with gynecomastia (male breast reduction), men are recapturing the physiques they enjoyed decades before.
Finally, those who have stuck to strict diet regimens to lose significant weight often seek a tummy tuck. Still, most candidates should be very near their goal weight before opting for a tummy tuck.
The Intricacies of the “Drainless” Technique
In the traditional tummy tuck, the skin is stitched together only at the incision. Under the skin the fat layer slides over the muscle layer, which causes the fluid build-up that must be drained away.
With the drainless tummy tuck, the surgeon uses extra dissolvable quilting sutures to append the fat layer to the muscle layer, preventing this sliding. The entire area is more stable while it heals and knits together again. Further, these extra stitches put less pressure on the single, initial incision that runs from hip to hip. The resulting stability subjects the main incision to less tension, ensuring a less noticeable, better-looking scar. A more stable incision reduces the chance of “dehiscence” or separation, a rare complication.
Patients will experience greater comfort and forego the need to look after a drainage tube and fluid container during healing, which can be painful, and if mismanaged lead to scarring or infection.
Traditional or “Drainless,” the Tummy Tuck Has Many Benefits
The tummy tuck corrects loose skin, excess fat, and muscle laxity. The results are dramatic, and our patients consistently report they feel more confident at work, the beach and while trying on flattering clothing. On RealSelf, the medical procedure review website, the tummy tuck earns a 97 percent “Worth It” rating, one of the highest ratings of all plastic and cosmetic surgery procedures.
But the tummy tuck offers more than cosmetic benefits. By tightening the abdominal muscles which support the back, tummy tucks often decrease chronic back pain and improve the comfort of working out. Many patients find urinary incontinence is alleviated as well.
After your drainless tummy tuck, you will need to wear compression garments or clothing for a few weeks, this expedites the healing process.
For one to two weeks after the surgery, it is essential to rest and stay away from strenuous physical activities involving overexertion. Most patients can return to light activity within a week. For ideal results, we recommend patients follow an exercise routine and maintain a healthy, balanced diet.