Abdominoplasty without drains? Is this possible?

For years, abdominoplasty has been a very popular procedure for women who desire recontouring their abdomen by excising excess skin and fat. Typically, one or two drainage tubes are placed within the space between the abdominal wall muscles and the overlying skin to remove excess fluid that accumulates after surgery and would prevent the adherence of the skin back down to the muscle. For most women, this would be the worst part of the entire surgical experience. Caring for these tubes, dragging them around, trying to find a place within one’s clothing are often problematic. Now, using a new surgical technique, there is no longer the need for these drainage tubes in most cases. The abdominal skin adheres quicker to the abdominal wall musculature, thus shortening the healing process, and also reducing the chance of later fluid accumulation as well. The entire recovery experience after surgery is dramatically improved and the healing accelerated. The ultimate surgical results are just as good with this technique as using the older methods. Dr. Epstein is proud to offer this new technique to his patients in his Stony Brook office.