I had a tummy tuck 5 years ago. The surgeon did not place a tummy bandage over the surgery afterwards because " the nurse" forgot to order it? He made shift a dressing bandage . It had jagged edges from the tear. It embedded into the incision site. I had to to return 1week later. I had a hole as big as a quarter. It tooks 1 year to heal completely closed. Scr tissue was thick. I never complained. Just been dealing w/it.
It is a lot less....still..hurts when I stretch/walk/bend. Will it ever go away? Scar tissue is still felt under the the umbilical area. Does the scar tissue ever breakdown on its own after a tummy tuck?
After 5 years of healing, the scars are pretty well fixed in position and won't change much regardless of more time, massage etc. The only real way to address them is with a surgical scar revision. Please visit another surgeon and see if this is possible. It may be that enough laxity has developed over the 5 years that a revision could be feasible.
It's a little unclear from your description about how your wound was cared for post-operatively, but it appears that you had some wound healing problems post-op (which occurs in about 5-10% of patients depending on factors like smoking, diabetes and the method used to close your wound). You appear concerned about some of the scar tissue and a bit of pain that resulted from your tummy tuck.
At five years post-op, the scar you do have is likely 'mature' and will not soften or fade with time. It probably won't get any worse either. The scarring around your bellybutton can be troublesome if it has narrowed your belly-button diameter to the point that it makes keeping that area clean a challenge.
In the early post-op period, things like scar massage can do a lot to minimize the bulk of a scar, but it's too late for that.
I think the scar you have is there to stay.
Most Kindly,
Scott Sattler MD FACS
Contact the doctor
