I would like to know if a drainless TT or one with drains is better for someone who has lost 85lbs and is 5' tall, and now weighs 143
Both procedures can be done safely. It depends on the preference of your surgeon. I personally use drains and have colleagues that do not and have excellent outcomes.
Drains don’t make it safer. I commend you on losing 85lbs. Drain vs no drain should not make the decision on surgeon. Look at the results and talk to their patients if you can. I use drains almost always. I use same techniques as stainless tummy tucks but with the high definition liposuction I do I would prefer for all the fluid to be drained so I use drains.
Use of drains is highly dependent on surgeon’s decision and extent of the operation, it’s not related to operation safety. I frequently use drains with of abdominoplasties.
The reason for a drain is to prevent the accumulation of fluid called seroma. Some surgeons use drains in abdominoplasties and leave then in from 4 days to over 3 weeks and they still get seromas. Drains can be uncomfortable and patients do not like them. This is the old standard. With the use of the "Pollock" progressive tension suture without drains as popularized by Pollock and confirmed by Antonetti & Antonetti, the formation of seromas is close to 0% and does not make any difference if it is an extensive operation or with extensive liposuction. Surgeons learned abdominoplasties with the use of drains, they have good results and continue using them but the fact is that drains are not needed at all and patients like this better. More and more surgeons are going to drainless abdominoplasties and once they learn this way, they are a lot happier this way. Nothing wrong with using drains and many good surgeons use them but fact is they are ABSOLUTELY NOT NEEDED!