What are the complications and side effects with a tummy tuck?

A surgery is a lifesaver if conducted properly, but, God forbid, if something goes wrong, it can put you in some grave problems. This is as true for a tummy tuck. Although chances of anything going wrong in an abdominoplasty are small, there are a number of potentially serious complications, which cannot be ruled out.

The likely tummy tuck complications

Tummy tuck procedure involves cutting open your abdomen to take out fat, skin and tissue. So, it’s quite possible for things to go wrong. Let’s see what all complications can occur:

a. Pain and tenderness: The post surgery pain varies from person to person. For some it may be quite severe. Tenderness in the scar may also last for several weeks.

b. Swelling: Swelling may trouble most patients in the first two months after the surgery. Women generally experience swelling in the labia and men in the scrotum.

c. Bruising: It’s common to experience bruising on the abdomen. However, in more severe cases it may extend to the surrounding skin. In severe cases, the bruises may also bleed.

d. Bleeding or hematoma: Although, drains are used after surgery, but some patients may collect blood. If bleeding is severe and doesn’t stop, it may require a transfusion.

e. Seroma: There are cases in which serum may sometimes get secreted beneath the skin. This leads to collection of fluid and give rise to a condition called seroma. In severe cases, surgery or aspiration of this fluid may be required.

f. Fat necrosis: When the abdominal wall is stretched as tummy tuck procedure, the blood supply to the remaining fat and skin may get damaged. On rare occasions this may lead to necrosis of fat cells, which become liquefied and hardened. In severe cases, even infection can develop in these areas.

g. Infection: Infection can become a serious problem and coupled with bleeding can lead to hematoma.

h. Thick scar formation: Scar formation cannot be avoided, but if it’s long and thick, it can pose some problems. Although, scar revision sometimes helps, some scars cannot be improved. This condition is more common in those who’re genetically prone to heavy scars.

i. Umbilical retraction or necrosis: There’s a need to reposition umbilicus during abdominoplasty. However, in certain cases the blood supply gets damaged in doing so. Another problem that may occur is even when all scars have contracted; the umbilicus may not get aligned along the midline.

j. Numbness or changed feeling: Unusual feeling or numbness in the abdomen can be experienced by some and may last for many months.

k. Abnormal reaction to stitches: Body’s reaction to stitches, especially if they’re permanent or slow dissolving ones, is to reject them. This may cause problems.

l. Skin tissue death loss: Sometimes the abdominal wall may be stretched in excess during surgery and results in damage to the skin’s blood supply. This may result in dead skin that may need grafting. Diabetics and smokers are more prone to this condition.

m. Wound dehiscence or separation: The scar may separate while healing, leading to a heavier scar and slower recovery.

n. Serious and life threatening problems: All major surgeries can turn fatal and abdominoplasty is a major operation with all the attendant risks. So, you cannot rule out blood clots in the legs, lung problems, pulmonary embolus and even death. You may even have a bad reaction to anesthesia.

Although, tummy tuck complications cannot be ruled out, it shouldn’t deter you to opt for this procedure. You can reduce your risk of complications by not only closely following your surgeon’s instructions, before and after the surgery, but also by educating yourself about these potential risks and minimizing them.