After abdominoplasty, how long do the drains last coming from the wound?

Depends: In my practice i take steps during surgery to minimize the amount of fluid that builds up after surgery. I usually remove them after one week. Most surgeons use a certain volume determination of when to remove them ie when they are putting out less than 40 cc per day. Can range from 1-6 weeks depending on amount of fluid coming out.

5 to 30 days: Average is 5 to 10 days. It is based on how much fluid (swelling) your body makes and how active you are. Each patient is different. Drains come out based ontheir output per 24 hours. The common criteria is less than 30 ml per 24 hours for 2 days in a row.

5-10 days: The drains are usually left in place until they are draining less than 30cc per day. A lot of this will depend upon how large you are and how the doctor does the procedure. Good luck, dr t.

When they stop: Basically, the drains are there to siphon away excess serous fluid from underneath the skin. So, they stay in until the fluid production drops off. This is typically in the second week after surgery, but can be longer for patients that have also had liposuction in the area, or the massive weight loss patient.

Depends on you: Typically the first drain comes out on day 7. The second comes out on day 14. They have to have less than 30cc/ 24hrs for them to come out. Each plastic surgeon, (and patient), is different so check with your board certified plastic surgeon.

Drains : Every surgeon will have their particular drain protocol and one is not necessarily better than another. I liave 2 drains and remove them on post-op day #4 unless there is a very large amount of drainage still.