Tummy Tuck Options

Cost from $ 2,400

Cost with Financing $ 85 per month

Dealing with Scars Left by Tummy Tuck Surgery

Tummy tuck scars can be called a necessary evil for tummy tuck surgery.  Without making incisions that will leave scars in the abdomen, the tummy tuck surgery is impossible.  The scars left by tummy tuck surgery can be quite long and prominent, but there are ways to minimize their appearance.  Patients who are prepared to deal with unnatural tummy tuck scars and who follow the recommendations of their physicians in treating the scars after surgery will find that over time, their scars become less and less visible.  This article will discuss tummy tuck surgery and the scars it leaves, as well as some commonly used methods for softening the appearance of these scars.

What is a Tummy Tuck?

Abdominoplasty, or tummy tuck surgery as it is more commonly referred to, is a type of plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery.  This surgical procedure entails removing sagging skin and fat from the stomach and tightening the muscles of the stomach.  It is recommended for individuals who are at or near their ideal body weight, but dieting and exercise can’t flatten their sagging stomachs caused by pregnancy, fluctuating weight, aging, genetics, or other issues.  In this society that focuses so much on physical appearance, cosmetic surgeries such as the tummy tuck are in high demand because of the drastic physical improvement they can bring about, despite the scars or other repercussions they may have.  For a tummy tuck procedure, a surgeon will create an incision in the lower abdomen area from hip to hip, below the navel and usually close to or along the pubic hairline.  The surgeon will tighten the stomach muscles and remove excess skin and fat, then reposition the navel and stitch the stomach back together along the incision line.  While it leaves tummy tuck scars, the surgery results in a flat stomach that the patient can fully enjoy with a proper recovery.

What Tummy Tuck Scars Are Like

Tummy tuck surgery must leave scars because the surgeons make incisions in the abdomen.  However, these scars are lower down so that they are almost always covered by clothing and swimsuits.  Once an incision has been created in the body, the body tries to repair itself, and the resulting scar tissue appears dark and lumpy as compared to the unharmed skin nearby.  Mini tummy tuck scars are smaller and thinner than tummy tuck scars but are located in the same general area.  If the patient has received abdominal surgery in the past, the scar tissue in the area may make tummy tuck surgery difficult; however, the surgeon may be able to combine the previous scar such as from a c-section with the new scar from the tummy tuck or even remove the c-section scar with the excess skin.  Scars left by stretch marks may even be removed with the skin removed by a tummy tuck, which can reduce the total number of scars left in the abdominal area.  In the event that the surgeon needed to make an incision around the navel, as is common with tummy tuck procedures, there will also be scarring around the navel.  As the navel is also a scar from birth, this scarring will blend in and be easier to hide.  In some cases, the patient will not need a full incision.  For those with a small amount of excess skin and fat to be removed, surgeons may be able to do an endoscopic tummy tuck procedure that greatly minimizes scarring due to the smaller incisions it requires. 

Helping Tummy Tuck Scars Heal and Soften Over Time

Immediately following surgery and as the tummy tuck scars begin to heal, they will be red or pink in color.  This color will remain for many months, and before the scars finally begin to fade they may seem to grow darker.  Eventually, though, the scars will fade to a silvery color, permanently visible but far less shocking than they originally were.  For those whose procedures were less invasive, the scars may fade to being only faint lines.  There are ways that patients can help their scars be less prominent.  Surgeons provide compression garments to be worn about the abdomen to reduce swelling and so that the skin will reshape properly and the scars won’t stretch.  The compression garment helps the scars stay thin.  Neglecting to take care of the operation site can cause the tummy tuck scars to warp.  Without proper care these scars can become keloid scars, which have excessive scar tissue at the healed site and can be ridged or lumpy in appearance.  If keloid scars do form, they can usually be reduced by the use of laser treatments, corticosteroid injections, cryotherapy, or even surgical removal.  Individuals who don’t maintain their weight after receiving tummy tuck surgery will find that their scars from the procedure stretch and grow with additional weight gain.  Surgeons often recommend creams or ointments that may diminish the appearance of tummy tuck scars once they have properly healed.  Usually it takes the scars nine months to a year to begin fading into a thin, silvery line