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A possible side effect from a tummy tuck cosmetic surgery comes from infection. The procedure designed to safeguard against possible infections which are caused by fluids that get trapped in the tummy tuck site are called drains. Drains are silicone tubes that are put into the patient’s abdomen through a cut or cuts in their abdomen or through the tummy tuck cut. The tubes are joined to suction bulbs that accumulates fluids that form around the site of the tummy tuck during recovery from the surgical procedure.
The fluid collects in between the layer of muscle and the skin which could produce a seroma. A seroma or the collection of excess fluid could cause infections. Drains lower the risk of infections by passing these fluids out of the body and collecting the fluid thus allowing the patient to disgard it out of his tummy. The tummy tuck patient can measure the amount of fluid collected each day before throwing it away. The drains are kept in the patient for a few days after the tummy tuck surgery. If the amount of fluid that is being collected is significant, the drains can be kept in as long as several weeks before they can be safely removed.
While some patients might find removing the collected fluid bothersome, the assurance that the procedure is eliminating a serious risk of infection will make them more acceptable to the patient and definitely well worth the time and inconvenience as compared to facing the complicatons of abdominal infection in the tummy tuck site. It has become a general practice by most plastic surgeons who do tummy tucks to use these silicone tubes connected to suction bulbs following tummy tuck procedures as the risk of infection is seriously reduced with their use.