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Swelling of the Pubic Mound

You may have heard it called "Ken doll syndrome" or even seen it called "puffy cooter syndrome" on our message board. As with swelling in general, swelling of vagina is gong to be a reality for most female patients after they have an abdominoplasty. Swelling after tummy tuck -- also called edema -- is going to happen.  If you know this beforehand, you will be less stressed about the whole situation.

So why does your pubic mound become swollen even though no surgery was performed "down there?" Simple. When you have a compression support garment around your waist and lower abdomen, the swelling has to go somewhere.  And, thanks to gravity, that somewhere is usually south of the incision, which is your pubic mound.

But swelling isn't the only thing that will travel south. Bruising usually will flow downhill, too, so don't be surprised if your pubic mound is purple, puffy, and numb. The bruising will go away eventually. Some companies make garments with compression panels at the pubic mound but for many patients, the swelling will just have to be accepted while it lasts.

Public Mound Swelling After Tummy Tuck

Many thanks to Nightshade from our Tummy Tuck Forum for supplying us with these photos of her after her abdominoplasty! These photos show her tummy tuck incision line and the swelling above and below it.
The message board is a great place to check out if your need any advice or  just need to vent about something. You can talk to other patients who have been through what you are going through. Check it out.