Are Tummy Tuck Stitches Dissolvable

Tummy tuck with stitches helps to produce more collagen so that your tummy stays flattered for longer. Are tummy tuck stitches dissolvable? Read on to learn more.

Getting a tummy tuck is an excellent idea when looking for a procedure to reduce excess tummy skin. Too much skin around the tummy affects your ideal body shape and size. It’s a procedure that helps to tighten the abdominal muscle and achieve a flatter tummy.

Most patients, yet, would want to know the effectiveness of getting an abdominoplasty. Will the flat tummy results last a lifetime? What can you do to ensure that the saggy skin does not grow back? Read on to learn more about tummy tuck stitches and their effectiveness in helping you keep a flat tummy and an ideal body shape and size.

How do you care for dissolvable tummy tuck stitches?

When going through the tummy tuck surgery, your cosmetic surgeon will make incisions that assist in removing the loose skin from your abdomen.

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The cosmetic surgeon makes the incisions from hip to hip, ensuring there is no loose skin left dangling from your tummy. After the surgery, the surgeon will use dissolvable stitches to close the incisions. Below are the tips on how to care for dissolvable stitches after a tummy tuck.

  1. Clean from the center outward

If you can see the dissolvable stitches on your skin, cleaning them is an easy task. The idea is to clean them starting from the dirtiest part of the incision into the cleaner part. Use clean water and mild soap to clean the incisions.

  1. Leave the scabs alone

Avoid scrubbing the scabs you see on the dissolvable stitches, no matter how tempting it gets. The scabs are annoying and make the dissolvable stitches look dirty. Tampering with them worsens the wound. Leaving them is essential as they only mean that your skin is healing from the tummy tuck.

  1. Be gentle

Wash the incisions containing the dissolvable stitches like you would any other part of your body. Be gentle when washing the incision to avoid bruising and bleeding. It’s essential to use mild soap and water until the wound from the incisions shows signs of healing.

  1. Avoid creams and ointments

It would help to use creams and ointments only under your cosmetic surgeon’s instructions. Most creams have chemicals that may slow down the healing of the incision. As a result, the stitches dissolve before the incision heals, making them toxic to your skin.

  1. Avoid soaking

Ensure that you keep the incision dry, except when taking a shower. Take showers instead of long baths as the matter will keep the incisions wet, preventing the stitches from dissolving. Your plastic surgeon can give proper instructions on how to shower with the stitches.

How long does it take for dissolvable stitches to disappear?

Some factors to keep in mind before getting a tummy tuck include the use of dissolvable stitches on your incisions. Suppose you are wondering how soon dissolvable stitches disappear. In that case, it’s essential to know that there are variables that determine the amount of time they’ll remain visible on your tummy tuck incisions.

Dissolvable stitches can take anywhere between one week and six months to dissolve. Below are the variables that determine how long it takes for stitches to dissolve.

Type of wound

For deep incisions, your cosmetic surgeon will go for stitches that take longer to dissolve. This prevents them from dissolving before the incision wound after the tummy tuck heals completely.

Suture material

Stitches made catgut sutures dissolve faster compared to those made from synthetic. Even while they take a shorter time to dissolve, you may experience more pain on the tummy tuck incisions once in a while.

Suture size

Tummy tuck stitches made from thicker sutures take longer to dissolve into your skin once the incision has healed.

Should you ever remove the dissolvable stitches?

Once your tummy tuck incisions begin to heal, your skin will absorb the stitches. During this healing process, the suture used to make these stitches will not all dissolve, and there are some left hanging from your skin. It’s dangerous to attempt to remove the dangling stitches on your own. Visit your cosmetic surgeon so he can cut off these stitches to prevent them from growing into the new skin.

What signs of infection to look out for on your dissolvable stitches?

The skin is a barrier that protects against infections. Infections are common in skin areas that have injuries or incisions. Infected dissolvable tummy tuck stitches to look out for include;

Warm to touch

The recovery process after the tummy tuck includes healing the incisions and dissolving the stitches. There is an infection on the stitches if they feel warm to the touch, are causing pain, and have signs of swelling around them.

Redness

When you notice redness or red streaks around the stitches on your incisions, it’s a clear sign of an infection on the stitches. Consult your cosmetic surgeon for stitches removal as they can deteriorate your health when they dissolve into your skin in that state.

Oozing of pus

There is an infection on the dissolvable stitches if they ooze pus or yellowish-green drainage from the incisions. The pus causes an unpleasant smell from the repaired area on your tummy.

Fever

Fever is a sign of an infection. When you start feeling too hot or too cold, chances are an infection on the tummy tuck incisions making the dissolvable stitches harmful to both your skin and body. Consider consulting your cosmetic surgeon on the next urgent steps.

Is it normal to have spitting sutures after a tummy tuck?

After a tummy tuck surgery, your cosmetic surgeon will close the incisions using dissolvable stitches as the last step. But, the body may reject the sutures used to make these stitches, causing resistance to dissolve.

Splitting sutures are normal, and the treatment is easy. Your plastic surgeon performs warm moist compressing on the incision that reveals the suture more. After accomplishing this, he can remove the rejected bits of the suture.

Conclusion

Every woman loves an ideal body. The tummy tuck procedure is one of our most sought-after procedures that help to achieve this dream look. The procedure is proven to eliminate unwanted loose skin and excess fat which gives you a flatter, slimmer tummy. By following the cosmetic surgeon’s aftercare tips, you can rest assured to experience the tummy tuck results for a long time.  Our tummy tuck gallery confirms why women are getting this procedure. Dr. Tarek, One of Dubai’s premier plastic surgeons, has ten years of excellent reputation in Dubai and fifteen years in the industry of Plastic Aesthetic Surgery. At Dr. Tarek Aesthetics, you will get an accurate tummy tuck price UAE and a  quote for Are tummy tuck stitches dissolvable? Schedule a free consultation to get this information today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Dissolvable stitches are used during the tummy tuck procedure to close the abdominal incisions. These stitches resolve gradually after the abdominoplasty over a few months.

Tummy tuck stitches used over the incisions made by your plastic surgeon dissolve into your skin once the incisions have healed. The healing of the wound occurs within the first couple of weeks after the surgery.

Plastic surgeons recommend that you don’t engage in exercise during the first few weeks after the tummy tuck surgery. This helps to keep the dissolvable stitches in place. You can tell that you popped the stitches when you experience sharp pain, bruising, or a bulge.

Absorbable sutures are usually inserted into the incisions and should dissolve after some time. For this reason, you will not need to remove the stitches after a tummy tuck.