Drains and Abdominoplasty/Tummy Tuck

Patients often express surprise that they will not require drains after their abdominoplasty/tummy tuck. Although some surgeons continue to use drains, our experience over the past 10 years matches published reports in which drains can be eliminated if certain steps are taken during surgery. Most importantly, we place ‘progressive tension sutures’ to attach the skin back to the muscle layer. Not only does this close the space that would otherwise accumulate blood/fluid, but it allows the final wound edge closure to occur without tension. This helps to prevent the scar from riding up (above the bikini line)after surgery, and may prevent scar problems that arise from excessive tension.