What are the Risks of Abdominoplasty?


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Like any other type of surgery, Abdominoplastys have risks; the main one being the problem with anaesthetic. However, you need to remember that the odds of you dying because of anaesthetic are 1:250,000 as opposed to 41:250,000 for car accidents and 22:250,000 for deaths by household implements. Therefore, the risk of you having complications through the anaesthetic is very small and can be made even smaller if you take a number of precautions. The best way to make the actual surgery safer is to stop smoking if you do so and start to do exercise as the healthier you are at the time of surgery the better your odds of surviving it. There are, however, a number of risks that are associated with Abdominoplasty and they are discussed below. Before going into an Abdominoplasty operation you need to make sure that you know what the risks are as if you do not then you will be unable to make an informed decision about whether you want the operation or not. Also, it is important that you remember that if you have any worries to talk with your doctor and to follow what they suggest.

One of the most common risks that occur with Abdominoplasty is blood clots. Though rare, these do occur because of the length of the surgery required; any surgery that requires you to be under anaesthesia for more than around thirty minutes brings with it an increased risk of blood clots. However, as mentioned above they are incredibly rare and so you should not worry about them. A second risk that comes with Abdominoplasty is bleeding. Because the surgeon is cutting large amounts of skin away and exposing a lot of muscle you will bleed a lot, and while there will be tubes to drain away any excess fluid that might collect there is the chance that they will not drain away all the fluid. If this happens then you have a further increased chance of developing a blood clot. However, you can help to combat this risk by moving about as soon as possible after your surgery; this increase in exercise (though not too vigorous) means that your heart will be beating faster and thus moving the blood around better.

There is also the risk of infection (though again this is a problem that occurs in all types of surgeries and so is not restricted to the Abdominoplasty). You need to remember, though, that the risk of infection is very small, especially if you are hygienic about your stiches and replace the bandages as often as your doctor tells you to. However, if you do get infected then you need to see your doctor as soon as possible as an infection can (at best) slow the healing time and (at worse) result in death if it goes untreated. The infection is usually fought using just normal antibiotics and therefore is only a serious risk if you avoid going to your doctor when you suspect you have an infection. There are a number of signs that you need to be looking for if you think you have an infection. These include; a fever, sweating, the development of pus around the area of the incision, excessive fluid draining from your incision and if that fluid is tinged green. If you have any of these symptoms then you should consult your doctor immediately as it is possible that you have an infection.

A fourth complication that can arise is the necrosis of flesh. Because of the large amounts of tissue that is being removed from your body and the trauma of a large incision, there is the possibility that the skin around your incision will begin to die; this is called necrosis of the flesh. If this happens then you should see your doctor immediately as this can be very dangers, leading to infection and other complications.

There is also the risk that, because you have had a large operation, excess fluid can build but between the layers of skin and muscle. To combat this, there is the possibility that you will have to have the excess fluid drained from under your skin; this is done to help decrease the possibility of infection. The technical name for the problem is seroma formation and to stop this from occurring silicon tubes are inserted under the skin, either through the original incision or through newly made holes. The tubes are then connected to suction devices which will help to draw out any excess fluid that might occur under your skin. You will then be asked to measure the amount of fluid that is being collected (and then dispose of it) so that your surgeon can see how long you require the tubes. One average they are kept in between three to five days, though if you have a lot of excess fluid then the surgeon may keep them in for as long as three weeks until the incision and the general area has begun to heal and the problem begins to work itself out. While they can be uncomfortable, the tubes, if you require them, will help decrease the risk of infection and therefore it is deemed better that you have the discomfort of the tubes for a few days rather than the dangers that infection can bring.

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