How Can I Get Rid Of This Puffiness Below My Tummy Tuck Scar?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am 42 years old and had a tummy tuck two years ago after my third and final child. While I had some rather dramatic improvement and am pleases with the overall result, there is one area that still remains problematic. I have this persistent swelling between my tummy tuck scar and the pubic bone. It has never gone down completely and I don’t understand why. It sticks out in dresses and tight pants like a bulge and is a visible ledge if I try and wear a swimsuit. What can I do to get rid of this swelling?

A: What you have is not swelling and is a not uncommon finding for some patients after a tummy tuck. It is residual fat in the pubic mound area that is below the effect of a tummy tuck. The tummy tuck scar in most patients becomes the narrowest part of the waistline and can look like a constricting band above the puffy pubic mound. Sometimes this is recognized before the tummy tuck and its reduction by liposuction done at the same time. In others, it becomes obvious after a tummy tuck. It can be very effectively reduced with a small liposuction procedure. (pubic mound liposuction)

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis,Indiana