A tummy tuck procedure entails removing excess belly fat you might have struggled to burn off through regular diet and exercise and excising any loose skin that may remain after weight loss. When done by a board-certified plastic surgeon, a tummy tuck can successfully smooth, flatten, and repair your abdomen so you can feel confident in your body.
Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Shlomo Widder and his team at Widder Plastic Surgery can perform a tummy tuck to improve how your abdomen looks and functions. It is essential to prepare for what to expect following your tummy tuck procedure, including potential issues that might arise. While rare, belly button bleeding is still a cause for concern.
Contents
- 1 Should I Worry if My Belly Button Is Bleeding?
- 2 How Do I Know if My Belly Button Is Infected After a Tummy Tuck?
- 3 How Long Does the Belly Button Take to Heal After a Tummy Tuck?
- 4 Is It Normal for a Healing Belly Button to Bleed?
- 5 How Do You Treat a Bleeding Belly Button?
- 6 How to Prevent Belly Button Bleeding After a Tummy Tuck
- 7 Schedule Your Tummy Tuck Consultation at Widder Plastic Surgery
Bleeding around your navel after a tummy tuck is a reason to follow up with your surgeon. In most cases, this issue is due to a condition called stitch granuloma, which is relatively straightforward to treat. If the bleeding continues, immediately reach out to your surgeon so they can assess the situation and ensure your recovery is on track. Dr. Widder provides all his patients with his cellphone number, and you are welcome to directly contact him if you have any concerns while healing from your operation.
Signs that your belly button might be infected include:
- Your belly button appears too constricted or open
- Pus or discharge is coming from the navel
- Your belly button has protruded for more than a few weeks
- You feel something hard behind your navel
- Your belly button looks distorted or “off”
- The scar is painful or becoming more prominent
- You notice blood at the incision site
While everyone heals differently, the average recovery time for a tummy tuck is two to four weeks. However, how long your body takes to recover from a tummy tuck depends on several factors, including your age, overall health, and how well you follow your post-operation instructions. If you carefully keep your incisions clean and dry and refrain from heavy lifting, you should see a full recovery of your belly button after about four to six weeks.
Bleeding from the belly button is not normal after a tummy tuck and requires careful monitoring by you and your surgeon. If you notice a significant amount of bleeding, oozing, or crusting in the incisions around your navel, report these issues to your surgeon. Dr. Widder can evaluate the situation and give you further directions to ensure a bleeding navel doesn’t derail your healing progress.
How your surgeon decides to treat the bleeding belly button all depends on the cause. If it’s something as simple as a stitch granuloma, you can treat it with hydrogen peroxide on a cotton swab with some bacitracin ointment and gauze twice a day. More extensive issues may require antibiotics or an ointment.
To help prevent belly button complications after a tummy tuck, you must avoid strenuous physical activities such as intense workouts and weightlifting for a specific period until approved by your plastic surgeons. Secondly, follow your surgeon’s aftercare instructions and practice good personal hygiene, including cleaning your navel with hydrogen peroxide on a cotton swab twice a day until it has healed.
Schedule Your Tummy Tuck Consultation at Widder Plastic Surgery
A tummy tuck offers many remarkable benefits, such as strengthening the core muscles, minimizing the risk of health conditions, hernia prevention, urinary incontinence relief, excess fat removal, and a better aesthetic appearance. Contact us today if you are searching for an experienced, qualified, board-certified plastic surgeon to perform your tummy tuck.
