Highlands Tummy Tuck doctors
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Robert T. Buchanan, MD
Highlands Plastic Surgeon
209 Hospital Dr Suite 202, Highlands |
92 answers |
Recent Answers
I've read that people who have more extra skin will have lower and shorter scars...is how low/long the scar will be based completely on how much extra skin you have or this something that can be controlled? I'm worried about scar that wraps all around my back and up to my bellybutton. I know a consultation will give me those answers, but I'm curious and don't want to get a consultation done until I lose the rest of my weight.
Tummy Tuck scars are always placed low centrally. The lateral extent depends on teh type of swimwear and underwear that you prefer. It can be placed to hide under a low cut Bikini or under clothes with higher lateral leg openings. The length will depend on your anatomy and whether a bulge will appear under a short scar or not. Only an examination and consultation will determine this.
Can a Tummy Tuck Procedure Be Performed Under Local Anesthesia ?
You can perform any procedure under local. While it might be reasonable to do a truly mini tummy tuck under local, I would not advise doing any other type of abdominoplasty any way other than general anesthesia. If you are worried about safety, make sure the person doing the anesthesia is fully qualified and the facility is fully certified. By doing so, you assure the safest anesthesia possible. Many physicians do these procedures in an uncertified office without an anesthesiologist either to save money or because they cannot do them in a certified facility or get an anesthesiologist to work with them because they do not meet the qualifications to do so. They, therefore, tout local anesthesia as being safer, when in fact, the things that make anesthesia safe are lacking.
I am having a Tummy Tuck and noticed in my research that there appear to be two slightly different types of scars: one that is U-shaped, like a smile running from hip-to-hip reaching a low point at the pubis, and one that is more of a W-shape, like the other but rising slightly at the pubis. Is there a difference in the procedure, healing or outcome/final result between these two types of scars? Is one better or easier to perform...? Just curious. Thanks!
The eventual shape of the scar depends on many factors, including the tension on the tissues and how you heal. I make almost all of my incisions in the form of a ”W.” However, after healing, they usually look more like a “U.” The reason for using the “W” shaped incision is simple. Usually there is a significant amount of tension put on the incision at the pubis. If one makes an incision entirely above the pubic hairline, the pubic hair pulls up onto the abdomen and winds up much higher than desirable. If, however, the incision is made below the hairline equidistant from it, the pubic hair has a very natural appearance post-operatively. In order to do this, the incision is somewhat “W” shaped. Even if you shave the area now, many older women do not. By paying attention to little details like this, the scar looks good now and as you age.
