Tummy Tuck Scars: What Can You Do?

If you’re a little rounder around the midsection than you would like, it may be the result of too many candy bars—but the answer isn’t always that simple. Most women who have been pregnant are familiar with persistent flab around the belly area, which hangs around even after they’ve lost their baby weight. This bulk is affectionately known as a “mom pooch.” Unfortunately, your genes can also make you more susceptible to the unwanted flabbiness. Chances are good that if your mom and dad had belly fat overhang, this trait may be passed on to you. Skin laxity due to age or genetics (again) also doesn’t help.

Men and women who have found themselves unable to control this extra fat and sagging tissue through their own efforts may consider a tummy tuck. Chicago’s Dr. Lawrence Iteld routinely performs this procedure for a flatter, firmer abdomen, but finds that many people want to know about how their skin will look after the necessary incisions and sutures are made.

First, a look at tummy tuck surgery and what prompts it: Women are typically more pear-shaped when they are younger, as fat is stored around the lower body. This fat can then “move” to the middle over time. Spending lots of time at the gym and being careful about what you eat is bound to help many people shed overall body fat, but we can’t regulate from where the weight will be lost through conventional methods, so there’s no guarantee that exercise will result in a flat stomach.

Another problem is that fat alone is not always the culprit behind a flabby look. Very often, a protruding belly area is also caused by a build up of saggy skin. Muscle separation can further contribute to the problem.

A tummy tuck directly addresses all three of these issues. While different techniques may be used to sculpt the abdomen, depending on the patient, an abdominoplasty typically involves surgical removal of excess skin and fat, repairing separated abdominal muscles, and securing the remaining skin and connective tissues into place.

To accomplish all this, the plastic surgeon makes a horizontal incision along the pelvic region on the lower abdomen. Another incision may be made around the belly button area. Patients who have a full abdominoplasty will have different scars from those who have had a mini abdominoplasty, but in any case, incisions are made on the abdomen.

As incisions are an unavoidable aspect of tummy tucks—and many other major plastic surgery procedures—some patients are put off by the thought of having scars on their skin. While some marks are unavoidable, experienced and talented plastic surgeons work to position them in inconspicuous areas and minimize their appearance as much as possible.

Tummy tuck patients generally heal within about three months, but it may take several years for their scars to fade. Factors that affect the rate at which scars fade include age, genetics, overall health, and lifestyle habits, such as smoking. Infections and other complications may cause scars to appear more prominent. 

There are also steps that patients can take that actively reduce scars or prevent them from becoming worse. After a tummy tuck, the surgical site will continue to heal over time, and a compression garment is used to help the skin and tissues recover. Some of the best ways to minimize scarring include following post-operative instructions from your surgeon, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, avoiding exposing the surgical site to direct sunlight, caring for the incisions to avoid infection, refraining from wearing or using products or materials that irritate the scars, and using scar creams and/or occasionally skin lightening creams. Lasers. injection treatments, or dermal fillers can make scars appear lighter and smoother, and there are various cosmetic scar revision options available for patients who want a more dramatic solution.

Learn more about the details of tummy tuck surgery—including incisions and scars—at Iteld Plastic Surgery in the Chicago area. To speak with board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Lawrence Iteld and his team, call 312.757.4505 or send a message online.