What are the risks associated with abdominoplasty surgery?

The most common complication of tummy-tuck surgery is seroma formation. This is a result of fluid accumulation as your body attempts to fill a potential space. Most seromae resolve with only a few drainage attempts, without an incision. In cases where post-abdominoplasty seromae fail to resolve, lining of the fluid pocket needs to be excised because this is what makes the fluid. Other complications include hemorrhage (bleeding), infection (superficial skin and soft tissue, or deep around the soft tissue surrounding the implant), incision dehiscence (wound coming open), loss of skin and fat due to compromised blood supply, and loss of sensation over abdominal skin (usually lower part). Major complications are much more common in patients who smoke, have poorly controlled diabetes, and have major systemic illness that interferes with healing. Apart from surgery related complications, problems related to anesthesia also need to be considered. Many times such troubles are more serious than any of the abdominoplasty related complications the most severe of which are blood clots travelling to the lung circulation (pulmonary embolism) or heart attacks (myocardial infarction). As with any patient undergoing a major surgery under general anesthesia, appropriate risk recognition and management is part of the standard pre-operative evaluation and plan.