Tummy Tuck: Q&A
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How Do Doctors Minimize Dog Ears During a Tummy Tuck?
Should I be interviewing prospective surgeons about techniques they will use to avoid dog ear scarring?
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anon
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Dog Ears after Tummy Tuck How to Minimize Excess Skin at Corners of Abdominoplasty
The main cause of Dog Ears, excess skin pouching at the sides or ends of the Tummy Tuck Incision, are most commonly caused by trying to use too short of a Tummy Tuck Incision.
As the Abdominal Slin is pulled down and removed by a Tummy Tuck, the Flank Skin on the sides of the Abdomen is also pulled down and creates a bulge or Dog Ear.
The Dog Ear can be removed by extending the incision and removing the skin, however most patients want the shortest Tummy Tuck Scar possible...
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Minimizing Doe Ears in a Tummy Tuck
In a tummy tuck the upper incision is longer than the lower since you are taking out the skin above where the incision is located. This results in a discrepancy regarding the lengths of the incisions and the upper (longer) incision needs to be worked in to the lower. Proper planning should balance the incision lengths and avoid dog ears, but there are instances where it is beneficial to tolerate a dog ear, allow the skin to contract for a period of time and revise it later. This can lead to...
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Dog ears
I agree with above answers. It is interesting that there seems to be a big deal about a very minor problem. I actually believe a surgeon can keep a scar a little shorter, accept a small dog ear that may go away, and easily correct it in the office if it does not
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Reduction of Tummy - Durham, NC
Please note that this post is Pre-Op..I am having a complete tummy tuck done w/ more thigh...
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Dog ears or excess tissue at the ends of the incision should not be present
Hello,
Although very, very small dog ears are always a possibility anything more than that should never really occur after a tummy tuck. It is essentially a geometric process where the incision length, shape, and closure come togther to eliminate or significantly reduce the chance of this occuring. Simply ask your plastic surgeon about the chance of dealing with this and if he/she will correct without a charge if they do occur.
All the best,
Dr Repta
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5 Very Useful points to know about dog ears
5. It is a myth that dog ears come simply because of an incision being too short.
4. An incision and thus scar can be kept as short as possible by using liposuction at the puckering ends to minimize the bulkiness of the tissue there.
3. "Cheating" the upper flap siightly medially (toward the center) can help lower the chance or dogears. Ask your surgeon if he does it.
2. The laser on the laserlipo (smartLIpo) may help to tighten the skin....
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Avoiding dog ears during a tummy tuck
If the incision is placed in the proper location and extended far enough laterally (to the side) dog ears can be avoided in the vast majority of cases (>95%). Usually a dog-ear can be identified during the conclusion of the procedure and corrected at that time. This also has to do with the manner in which the skin flap is advanced and sewn into place.
If you still have a dog ear several months after the surgery once the swelling has subsided, you can always have your surgeon correct...
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"Dog ears" in tummy tuck incisions
Dog ears refer to when the very ends of the incision are bunched up and the skin sticks out a little. This can be avoided by careful planning (including the shape and length of the incision) and surgical technique. The length of the upper and lower borders of the skin that is removed in a tummy tuck are different, so when closing the incision the surgeon has to sew the borders in a way that lines up without bunching and creating areas that stick out. Dog ears often occur when there is an...
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How Do Doctors Minimize Dog Ears During a Tummy Tuck?
Careful planning of the incision location, direction, and length can minimize the risk of lateral dog ear formation during a tummy tuck. I find that if a scar is too "flat" or horizontal and doesn't angle up a bit following the proper direction of the relaxed skin tension lines, dog ears seem to be more of a problem. incision closure is performed in such a way as to advance the skin a bit towards the center of the abdomen, and this also minimizes dog ear formation...
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What is a dog ear and how do you avoid it.
Imagine you have a circle of paper and you cut a wedge out of it. If you bring the edges of the wedge together you get a cone (aka dog ear) The bigger the wedge, the taller the cone. Now visualize the wedge as the point where the upper and lower incisions of your abdominoplasty come together. The more skin you remove vertically the farther you will have to go horizontally to get an angle small enough to close the incision smoothly. Most women want short scars...
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How to avoid "dog ear" at time of tummy tuck
Only if you get a really good surgeon might you end up with a small dog ear needing office revision, a painless, easy procedure with neglible recovery, and in my practice, at no cost to you.
Small "Dog Ears" are no big deal after abdominoplasty. They occasionally occur at the ends of the abdominoplasty scar when your surgeon cares enough to provide for you the shortest, most inconspicuous scar possible. The best abdominoplasty scars are symmetric, flat,...
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Dog ear after tummy tuck
Thank you for your question. Dog ears sometimes occur after tummy tuck in an attempt to keep the scar as short as possible. Sometimes, they go away on their own during the healing process. If not, minor liposuction or direct excision can easily correct them under local anesthetic in the office.
If you don't want to worry about a dog ear at all, be prepared to have a longer incision. It's a trade off and a little risk but is something easily correctable.
I...
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Dog ears and tummy tucks
Dog ears can occur at the end of the lower abdominal incision with a tummy tuck when the length to width ratio of the skin is not high enough, i.e. the horizontal incision is not long enough. By simply mentioning this to your surgeon that this is a big issue for you, he/she should be extra careful to avoid this in you. Be sure to see a real board certified plastic surgeon and take a close look at their before and after photos for dog ears.
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Abdominoplasty correct marking and planning to avoid dog ears
It should be rare to create dog ears with a tummy tuck:
markings need to be correct
upper and lower lines should be close to equal length
close the skin from the corners to toward the midline
liposuction the hip area near the end of the incision as needed
extend the incision if needed
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Tummy Tuck - How Do Doctors Minimize Dog Ears During a Tummy Tuck?
In general, dog ears are less likely when the incision is long enough (!) and when the edges are "tailored" as carefully as possibly.
In fact, dog ears can occur any time an excision is performed, and that has a lot to do with the geometry. In theory, the length of an ellipse excised should be about 4 times the width; that ratio is supposed to provide the ideal and least amount of tension and facilitate the correct alignment. In reality, though, many factors go into...
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How to minimize "dog-ears"
Dog-ears are simply a result of making the tummy tuck incision too short. The length of a tummy tuck incision is directly related to how much vertical skin excess there is. I show my patients where I expect their incision to be and how long it will be before surgery. I also tell them that I cannot determine the exact length of the incision until I am in the operating room. Dog-ears can always be fixed but they also always result in a longer scar--the length that...
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No dog ears allowed in a tummy tuck
Preventing dog ears is simple tailoring, having the incision long enough that there is no extra skin left over at the ends. Trying to make the incision too short will always leave a dog ear and they don't go away on their own.
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How Do Doctors Minimize Dog Ears During a Tummy Tuck?
A "Dog Ear" happens when the incision is poorly planned and kept too short vis a vis the amount of loose skin which needs to be removed; The excess skin left behind at the corners shows up as the raised mounds referred to as dog ears. The best way to prevent them is a combination of surgical experience, proper planning, using liposuction or removing excess fat from the corners of the incision and beginning wound closure from the corners rather from the middle.
Good Luck...
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Minimize Dog Ears During Tummy Tuck Surgery
Thank you for the question.
"Dog ears" referred to a bunching up of tissue at the end of a incision line/scar. Generally they occur because a surgeon, in his/her attempt to keep the scar as short as possible, has a discrepancy between the lengths of the upper and lower tummy tuck incision lines. They can be avoided by extending the incisions and removing additional skin and subcutaneous tissue. Most patients will much prefer a longer incision line...
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Tummy Tucks and Dog Ears
Dog ears at the ends of a tummy tuck scar often occur because the incision was not made long enough. We all want to minimize the length of the tummy tuck scar; however, if the scar is too short, not enough of the loose skin is removed. The loose skin bunches up around the end of the scar and forms a cone. Sometimes this will resolve as the swelling resolves, so it is a good idea to let the scar heal and see if the natural tighening that occurs as the area mutures is enough to smooth...
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How to minimize dog ears with a Tummy Tuck
This comes down mostly to preoperative marking by the physician. Dog ears should rarely happen if marks are placed appropriately on the patient. In essence, the upper skin marking should be close in length to the lower marking. If the upper mark is much too long when compared to the lower mark a dog ear is possible.
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