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Will a Tummy Tuck Move my Tattoos?

asked 2 years ago by 5945anon in guam
Latest answer by Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS
Question viewed 31,859 times
Tags: female, after pregnancy, tattoo

I gained 60 pounds when I was pregnant with my son and now am covered in stretch marks on my stomach/hips. I also have loose skin on my lower belly. I'm assuming my tattoos on my hips will be completely gone, but what about the feathers? I also have a large tattoo that you can't see on my back and part of my hip. What will happen to that? Will they move? Is it possible to work around them?

21 answers to Will a Tummy Tuck Move my Tattoos?

Tummy Tuck and Tattoos

Your lower tattoos will be most affected and probably removed with the procedure to keep the scar low. The upper tattoos will be least affected but probably slightly stretched.

Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Tattoos and Tummy Tuck

Your lower tattoos will likely be removed during the tummy tuck and the upper ones will be slightly stretched. You should consult with your surgeon to discuss working around the tattoos and one you hope to keep and ones that cannot be saved.

Ankit Desai, MD
Jacksonville Plastic Surgeon

Change of tattoo with Tummy Tuck surgery

Thank you for your question. From your photo, it is difficult to see your tattoos and also difficult to assess your abdominal area clearly. If you proceed with tummy tuck surgery, the tattoos immediately around the lower abdomen will most likely be removed and the others that are up higher may move slightly and/or be stretched a bit. You need to discuss your concerns with your surgeon and see if he/she is willing to "work around" your tattoos. If this is... more

Tom J. Pousti, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

www.poustiplasticsurgery.com

Some or parts of tattoos may be removed during tummy tuck

Some or parts of your tattoos in the abdominal areas may be removed during the tummy tuck procedure depending on their location. It is possible that some plastic surgeons may be able to work around the presence of your tattoos if you ask them. see video

James Tang, MD
Houston Plastic Surgeon

Tummy Tuck and Tattoos

Contact a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. Upon consultation and examination you will be able to discuss your concerns with your abdomen and the removal/preservation of your tattoos. Your Surgeon will be able to discuss treatment options and together you can decide what is best for you.

Christine Sullivan, MD
Columbus Plastic Surgeon

The effect of a Tummy tuck on my Tattoos

Hi there- Without examining you, it is difficult to say confidently what you could expect to happen to your tattoos, but generally speaking if you are having a full tummy tuck you should expect tattoos in the lower abdominal region to be removed, with tattoos higher than your belly button either appearing lower on the belly, or stretched by the increased skin tension after surgery. I would recommend you review this with your surgeon, who both understands the details of your... more

Armando Soto, MD
Orlando Plastic Surgeon

www.DrArmandoSoto.com

Wings will fly south not away

Your tattoos are fairly high. During the tummy tuck they will move lower (mid to low abdomen). They will not be completely removed. Dr. ES

Earl Stephenson Jr., MD, DDS
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

Skin below your belly button is removed with a tummy tuck

Hello - The removal of your tattoos is really your choice because of where they are located. The ones below your belly button can be removed with a tummy tuck, but if you like them the incision can be placed above them. The placement of the tattoos may move, but at least they will be preserved. As far as the others, they can be lightened with lasers or excised with surgery if you want them removed. Good luck!

Jeffrey E. Schreiber, MD
Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

www.BaltimorePlasticSurgery.com

Tattoo movement with tummy tuck surgery

Tummy tuck will only move scars and tattoos which are on your abdominal skin. Your photo is from far away, so I don't know if the tattoos on your abdomen are below the rib cage or above it. The tattoos below your breast area MAY move slightly with a tummy tuck if the surgeon has to elevate the skin up to the rib cage, but it is hard to say with this photo.

Michael A. Jazayeri, MD
Santa Ana Plastic Surgeon

Tattoos and tummy tuck surgery

A tummy tuck should only move the tattoos on your abdomen, if you have any in this location. The tattoos on your back and hips really should not be altered. It loks as if you have two small tattoos in the groin region, and these may be partially eliminated. Once your scars heal, you could probably have these done again if desired. Good luck, /nsn.

Nina S. Naidu, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Predicting abdominoplasty results requires personal examination

There are a lot of opinions expressed in reply to your question, but the only ones who can give you an accurate answer are those who have personally examined you. Pictures can be deceiving. It is possible that you may benefit most from what is called an extended mini-abdominoplasty, in which the lower tattoos in the groin are would be removed. I believe there are some stretch marks in the lower abdomen so lipo alone doesn't seem likely to give a good result. On the other hand, a full... more

Richard Baxter, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Abdominal tattoos will shift with tummy tuck

With tummy tuck, the skin from the belly button to the pubis is eliminated as the laxity in the abdomen is corrected. It is possible that tattoos in this area will be removed entirely. Problems can occur with tattoos around the belly button though we seldom see these any more. Perhaps the concerns of such a tattoo during pregnancy have made them unpopular, though if present after tummy tuck they may need revision and over-tattooing to dress them up. The tattoos along your lower abdomen will... more

Peter E. Johnson, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Try liposuction instead

My first reaction is you are concerned about changes or even possible removal of your tattoos. Without examining you, I can't evaluate your abdominal wall muscle. If this is fairly intact and all of this excess is fat, then I agree with Dr. Beraka that you should try an agressive liposuction as this will not affect your tattos, give you no addotional significant scars, have a much faster healing or back to normal time, and not burn any bridges of a possible tummy tuck in the future. I... more

Steven Schuster, MD
Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon

A tummy tuck can change tattoos

A tummy tuck involves removing skin of the lower abdomen, therefore if a tattoo is located fully within the excision pattern it can be removed, if it is adjacent, it may be partly removed, stretched or distorted. A tattoo technically would not be moved unless it was transferred by a tissue flap or grafted somewhere else. You don't appear to need a tummy tuck.....agree with the prior plastic surgeons....liposuction alone may be sufficient for you

David J. Levens, MD
Coral Springs Plastic Surgeon

www.drlevens.com

Tummy tuck may move or remove tattoos

The tattoos on your lower abdomen will be gone after tummy tuck. The feathers and anything on your back will be OK. It looks like you should lose some weight before your surgery. You will get a better surgical result if you reduce your body weight. If you're going through this surgery, you should get as 'low weight' as possible for an optimal result.

G. Gregory Gallico III, MD
Boston Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction may be better than tummy tuck.

Hi. Of course, I am just looking at one picture, but you do not look very flabby. Get more than one opinion. It may be that deep and superficial liposuction of the abdomen may give you a lot of improvement, without the recovery and long scar of a tummy tuck. Superficial tunnelling with liposuction can actually tighten the skin.

George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Removal to tattoos with abdominoplasty

You are correct. The tattoos around your hips will be removed with the skin excision of the tummy tuck / abdominoplasty. The tattoos under your ribcage will not be removed. They may be slightly distorted as that skin is stretched to close the skin. Basically all the skin between your pubis and your belly button is removed and the remaining skin is stretched towards your pubis. Good luck with your surgery. It looks like you will get a nice result.

David Shafer, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

www.ShaferPlasticSurgery.com

Tummy tuck will remove your lower tattoos and not significantly change your other tattoos

A tummy tuck removes the excess skin and fatty tissue of the lower abdomen, and it would be appropriate to position the incision low to best hide the scar. The lower tattoos will be removed and the upper tattoos should not be significantly changed. You have a relatively high umbilicus and thus you may have a small up and down incision in the lower abdomen with closure of the hole where the belly button had been located. However, this should still be low enough so that you can cover your... more

Michael D. Yates, MD
Huntsville Plastic Surgeon

Tummy tucks and tattoos

Only the lower portion of the ones on your ribs will be slightly stretched downward. I think the change would be so small that the effect of the tummy tuck will not be harmed in any way. Good luck!

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Tummy Tuck and Tattoo Relocation

An Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck) will flatten the tummy, narrow the waist and remove loose lower tummy skin. In your case the bilateral groin tattoos would be removed and there will be a slight downward move of the feathers which appear to be near the rib margins. The back tattoos should not be affected by a Tummy Tuck.

Peter A. Aldea, MD
Memphis Plastic Surgeon

Tummy tuck will move abdominal tatoos

Great question. A tummy tuck moves upper abdominal skin down and removes lower abdominal skin. So yes, you can expect that most if not all the tatoos on your hips will be gone and the feathers in the upper abdomen will move down and be stretched. The tatoos on your back should be unchanged.