Tummy Tuck Gone Wrong: What Actually Happened?
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  • International Clinics
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  • 25 December 2024
Aesthetic & Plastic Surgeries

Tummy Tuck Gone Wrong: What Actually Happened?

Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) is a very popular cosmetic surgery to remove fat and tighten the abdominal muscles. Despite the surgery being usually successful, tummy tuck gone wrong in many cases according to reports.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Tummy tuck is the sixth most commonly performed surgery in the United States. However, around 4% of patients report persistent complications after the surgery.

Although the number of tummy tucks is projected to increase in the next years, the bad media images and alleged stories about tummy tuck horribly gone wrong prevent many people from trying this treatment.

Why Has Tummy Tuck Gone Wrong?

Tummy Tuck Gone bad

Around 1 out of every 25 patients might feel disappointed after the tummy tuck. The reasons behind this percentage involve:

Inexperienced Surgeon

Obviously, no plastic surgeon can guarantee results, but you still can choose a qualified surgeon or a respected clinic to get the best out of the surgery.

An experienced surgeon will usually offer you honest recommendations and set you in the right direction without exaggerating your expectations or offering you a tummy tuck that doesn’t fit your needs.  If a tummy tuck is not right for you, they may suggest other body sculpting procedures.

Inadequate Muscles Tightening

If the surgeon fails to tighten the abdominal muscles adequately or left them separated, the result will be an uneven and ugly-looking abdomen that frustrates the expectations.

Pre-Operative Negligence

Surgeons usually provide their patients with a to-do list before tummy tuck surgery. Clearly, not all patients follow their surgeon’s advice, resulting in a bad experience and tummy tuck gone wrong.

Post-Operative Negligence

Some patients passively ignore the post-operative instructions given by their surgeons. This increases the risk of infections, swellings, and other unwanted complications.

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Signs of Tummy Tuck Gone Wrong

You need to keep an eye on your abdominal area to notice any uneven or irregular sign that indicates a tummy tuck gone wrong. Often, patients start reporting the following signs and symptoms when the tummy tuck has gone bad:

  • Persistent swelling: Swelling is common after surgical intervention. Indeed, it’s still normal to see swelling after 1 week of the surgery. However, if swelling continues and other symptoms appear, such as burning or rash, this may indicate infection or internal organ damage.
  • Misshapen belly button: Unfortunately, sometimes surgeons unintentionally position the belly button too high or low, or they may alter the shape of the belly button. Such a problem could require secondary surgery to fix.
  • Enlarged Bruises & Clots: It’s not a good sign at all for bruises to stay longer or spread in the abdomen.  Enlarged bruises may indicate the formation of “hematoma”, which is a blood accumulation under the skin. Doctors have to drain the blood out of your body. Blood clots are also a major concern and can be life-threatening, especially if they reach the heart or lungs.
  • Severe infection: When your abdomen becomes infected, you may feel tenderness, high temperature, and the spread of a rash on your abdomen. Some infections are hard to treat and may spread to other parts of the body.
  • Heavy bleeding: In normal circumstances, bleeding gradually stops after a tummy tuck. However, if you’re taking blood-thinning medications, the bleeding will persist for much longer, affecting the healing process.
  • Other signs: Take notes and keep your eyes open for other signs and symptoms, such as persistent pain, apparent scars, nerve damage, and skin countering problems.

tummy tuck gone wrong pictures

How to Prevent Tummy Tuck from Going Wrong?

To avoid full or mini tummy tuck gone wrong, you need to consider the following strategies:

Choose the Right Surgeon

First and foremost, you need to be very careful when choosing a surgeon. Do your homework and research your surgeons’ background and experience. Check tummy tuck before and after photos that indicate true and realistic results achieved by the surgeon.

Make the Right Decision

If a tummy tuck is not for you since the beginning, then choose another option to remove fat from your abdomen. Options include liposuction and nonsurgical body sculpting techniques. Consult your doctor and make sure you’re picking up the right choice.

Stick to Surgeon’s Advice

Whether before or after the surgery, you must follow what your surgeon suggests you do. A tummy tuck is a surgery that needs careful preparation and careful follow-up. Ignoring your surgeons advice raises the chance of a tummy tuck gone wrong.

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Tummy Tuck Gone Wrong in Mainstream Media

Many news channels and mainstream media reporters have jumped to the subject of tummy tuck gone wrong. The Scientific American, for example, published an entire article about tummy tuck gone bad for several women who chose to visit the Dominican Republic in the hope to have cheaper tummy tuck surgery.

Unfortunately, things turned badly for the women as they returned to the United States with severe infections. As the report indicated, the negligence of surgeons and the unsterilized settings were the main culprits in this case.

However, not all women who travel abroad to have cheap tummy tucks end in such a position. For instance, Turkey is known for being a cheap place for a tummy tuck and other cosmetic surgeries, such as breast augmentation.

Turkey, unlike many other Caribbean and Asian countries, has a good reputation in this regard. Most Turkish clinics only hire qualified surgeons and follow strict sterilization protocols to keep everything safe and avoid bad experiences. Tummy tuck gone wrong reviews in Turkey is hard to find because they e actually rare.

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What Can I Do If I Don’t Like My Tummy Tuck?

before and after tummy tuck gone wrong

Reality is not always straightforward. You could have been fantasizing about how incredible a tummy tuck is. Once you back home after the surgery, you stand a front of the mirror and feel completely unhappy with the results, thinking your tummy tuck surgery gone wrong.

This happens a lot to those with unrealistic expectations!

Now, what’s next? What do you have to do?

Tummy tuck gone wrong. Maybe not at all! But you still refuse to like the results. Now, if you continue to feel disappointed about the appearance of your abdomen, you can consider a “revision surgery”.

This implies a secondary surgery to address your concerns and achieve your goals. If this option doesn’t sound good to you, you can think about other similar procedures, such as liposuction.

Tummy Tuck Gone Wrong Compensation

Some women resort to legal actions when their tummy tuck gone wrong. They can fill a case after proving that the surgeon failed to do what they claim they can do.

The compensation comes eventually to compensate for the suffering. There are many professional legal teams that specialize in obtaining compensation. If the case was won, you can pay for revision surgery to fix the physical damage in your abdomen.

Also, there are certain civil organizations that offer help to victims of cosmetic surgery malpractice. However, if a tummy tuck was performed abroad, the legal case can be more complicated, even if you have tummy tucks gone wrong photos.

The Bottom Line

The purpose of a tummy tuck is to achieve a better-shaped, tight abdomen by removing excess fat and loose skin. However, tummy take could go wrong in some instances, requiring secondary surgery to correct the problems.

Choose the right surgeon and follow your surgeons instructions before and after the surgery to avoid a tummy tuck gone bad.

International Clinics is one of the trusted medical providers in Turkey. Our surgeons have done thousands of successful tummy tucks for patients from all around the world. Reach us now by using the Contact Us buttons below to explore your options.

Explore Similar Health Concerns:

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Mini Tummy Tuck Before and After: Transform Your Body Contour Now

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FAQ's

Look for critical signs and symptoms, such as a misshapen belly button, severe pain or infection, and persistent rashes or bruises. Try also to visit another surgeon or doctor to examine your abdomen and check for irregularities.

A tummy tuck is not a guarantee that you’ll stay fit indefinitely. If you don’t follow healthy life measures (such as eating healthy and practicing exercises), fat can accumulate again in the abdominal area and make you look big again.

Tummy Tuck is not for obese or overweight individuals. It’s also not recommended for people who have chronic, uncontrolled medical conditions, as well as those with unrealistic expectations.

You may gain weight in other places like the thighs, legs, arms, and breasts after a tummy tuck because of the changes happening in fat cells. Fat cells are removed from your abdomen but remain active in other places. Also, the thighs become more prominent after removing fat from the abdomen

Sources don’t agree on a specific maximum BMI for a tummy tuck, but the general consensus agrees that the maximum BMI for a tummy tuck should be between 30-35. A BMI more than this range could increase potential complications.

A tummy tuck is not painful, but you may feel some discomfort and swelling during the first week after the surgery. The pain is usually mild, but if it becomes severe, your surgeon will prescribe painkillers for you.

A tummy tuck takes between 2-4 hours, depending on the complexity of the procedure. A mini tummy tuck may take less time than a full tummy tuck. However, most patients can return home on the same day of the surgery.