Abdominoplasty is commonly called tummy tuck. It is a surgical procedure used for tightening the stretched out skin and muscles on our abdomen. This procedure also helps in removing the excess fats store in our abdomen.  When people fail to lose belly fat even after dieting and exercising for considerable period of time, they often decide to undergo this cosmetic procedure of having a flat belly. Other than that, women undergo abdominoplasty to get rid of the loose abdominal skin they get after pregnancy. The common side effects of this procedure are:

Infections: Like any other surgical procedure, people undergoing abdominoplasty might also suffer from infections in the site of the surgery. The infection might occur on suture line or within abdominal cavity. The symptoms of infections from abdominoplasty are: severe abdominal pain, tenderness around the patient’s abdominal cavity, inflammation, redness surrounding suture line etc. Generally, these infections get treated using antibiotics.

Fluid/ blood collection beneath the skin: The patient might also suffer from accumulation of serous fluid or blood beneath the skin of the surgery site. If this problem starts before the patient is discharged, drainage tubes are used for reducing the accumulation of fluid or blood. However, if this occurs after the patient has been discharged the doctor might use a syringe for taking out the fluid.

Nerve damage: This is a common side effect of abdominoplasty. The symptoms of nerve damage include: decreased sensation, tingling sensation, numbness and pain around the abdominal region and upper thighs. However, all these problems generally subside within 2 to 3 months of abdominoplasty.

Tissue death: There are instances where patients undergoing abdominoplasty have experienced death of tissues around incision line. When the surgeon diagnoses any such issue in the patient, he may suggest a longer hospital stay to allow the patient to recover from the consequences of tissue death. Tissue death after abdominoplasty is more common among obese individuals, diabetics, and people with smoking habit.