Welcome to the Vinyard Institute of Plastic Surgery's Blog, where your journey of aesthetic exploration and education takes center stage. We deeply value empowering our patients through knowledge, providing insights, tips, and in-depth information to guide and enhance your aesthetic journey. Dive into our posts, where expertise meets understanding, and discover a space where your curiosity and dreams are nurtured and illuminated.
Abdominoplasties, also known as “tummy tucks,” have helped us achieve our most-wanted body-contouring goals for many decades. Tummy tucks substitute stretched skin, weakened muscle tissue, and stubborn fat deposits with a smooth waistline, a well-contoured abdomen, and an appealing physique. Such aesthetic benefits bring more and more patients through the doors of plastic surgery clinics, anxiously awaiting to admire their stunning abdomens in the mirror and boost their self-image and confidence.
At the Vinyard Institute of Plastic Surgery, we take pride in body-contouring procedures, our clinic’s specialty. Our chief plastic surgeon, William J. Vinyard, MD, FACS, uses his trained aesthetic eye and “no shortcut” approach to bring your dream results to life. He plans every procedure detail, from incision marking and suture closure to postoperative care, to ensure that your experience can be as great as the results:
Nothing speaks to Dr. Vinyard than patient safety and thorough recovery. Abdominal skin and muscle tissues are separated during the tummy tuck procedure, which creates a space perfect for fluid collection—a condition called a seroma. Excessive fluid can ruin your results and increase infection chances, forcing you to undergo additional surgery. To avoid such nuisances, Dr. Vinyard recommends that you enhance your tummy tuck experience with drains. Today, you will learn how drainage tubes can take your body contouring experience to the next level.
The process through which the surgical drain is installed after the procedure is straightforward. After the procedure, Dr. Vinyard places a fenestrated tube at the surgical site, exiting the lower abdominal area through a small incision. The tube is then connected to a bulb under negative pressure, leading to maintained suction. These bulbs are placed around the hip area and collect fluids throughout the recovery process through applied pressure.
The tummy tuck drains will not impede you from enjoying your daily tasks. On the contrary, the more attention you pay to your postoperative care, the faster you’ll get back in your best shape! All you have to do is keep the drainage tubes clean (i.e., apply cleaning ointments and empty the drainage tubes twice per day), and your recovery will be complete in no time.
Are you afraid of potential pain after the tummy tuck with drains procedure? We’ve got you covered. Although wearing drainage tubes after a tummy tuck may be uncomfortable, Dr. Vinyard can minimize your discomfort with a medication called EXPAREL®. This local anesthetic relieves postoperative pain locally (around a surgical wound) or regionally (in specific nerves). More than 3.5 million patients have experienced the pain-relieving benefits of EXPAREL®, with numerous reviews to confirm them. Don’t hesitate to ask Dr. Vinyard about EXPAREL® during your complimentary consultation.
Tummy tucks with drains are here to provide a superior body contouring experience with less chance of postoperative fluid collection and unnecessary surgical procedures. Here at VIPS, Dr. Vinyard has become a strong supporter of this approach to body contouring due to its three main advantages:
The surgical drain can make the difference between success and failure in a tummy tuck procedure. On average, drainless tummy tucks have a 25-40% failure rate. Choosing a tummy tuck with drains will significantly decrease the procedure failure rate and keep you on track for a smooth recovery.
Drainless tummy tucks use sutures at the incision site to keep the skin, fat, and muscle tissue together during the recovery. Unfortunately, these sutures are not always up to the task. Around one in four drainless tummy tuck experiences end with seroma formation, which translates into prolonged recovery times and additional visits to the clinic.
Tummy tucks with drains are a much safer alternative to their drainless counterpart since the drainage tubes minimize the risk of fluid collection in the incision site. By choosing a tummy tuck with drains, you are sure to substantially cut the additional surgery risk and enjoy your stunning results instead!
A drainless tummy tuck can be demanding when it comes to recovery. The bruising and swelling will subside after 4-6 weeks (as long as you follow the postoperative instructions), during which you need to abstain from strenuous activities.
On the other hand, drains shorten the recovery rate and allow you to enjoy your desired results faster. Usually, the post-tummy tuck drains stay in place anywhere between 1-3 weeks. However, many of our patients are ready to have their drains removed after 14 days. That is less recovery time and more time gazing at your improved body contour in the mirror!
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Tummy tucks with drains are still Dr. Vinyard’s preferred approach to create safer and more predictable stunning results. Here at VIPS, our patients value Dr. Vinyard’s thorough approach to body contouring, with countless reviews to acknowledge his training and expertise:
”I went for an abdominoplasty/tummy tuck, the results are amazing…. I am 100 percent satisfied with my body…. I have three children, no more belly hanging… I am amazed. Thank you, Dr. Vinyard. You are the best!” – Review from N.
Are you ready for your own tummy tuck? Then book a complimentary consultation with William J. Vinyard, MD, FACS, to discuss more of what we can do for you!
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