Scar Cream for Tummy Tuck Scar?

Your scar can be lowered so it is hidden beneath your panty- line and also at the junction of your pubic hair bearing area. Regarding the potential for a red raised scar please note the following advice that I recommend to my patient in these circumstances:
Best Scar Management is important to minimize or completely hide from view, the tell tale signs of surgery – namely, scars. Both you and your surgeon want you to have the most minimal scarring possible from your surgery. Patients with scars that are enlarged or not healing well after surgery can be from many causes. Unsightly scars are most commonly due to genetics, underlying medical conditions or improper scar/wound care. The last part is very important and patients can make a noticeable difference in their scars’ appearance by following best scar management practices. Here are some simple tips.
Scar Management tips:1- Minimize tension on the scar – Steri Strips and/or surgical tape are often placed in non-hair bearing areas to minimize tension and keep pressure over the scar. This minimizes the stress that can pull the scar apart (dehiscence) creating a wound and delaying healing time, and can make the scar wider, or more “ropy”.
2– Keep your incision site/scar clean to prevent infection. Follow your surgeon’s wound care instructions to the letter with out modification. NEVER apply different products then recommended without first discussing them with your surgeon. This is especially important during the first few weeks. If there are any signs of infection contact your surgeon’s office immediately and/or see your doctor or his nurse immediately. Typical signs of infection may include redness outside the immediate incision site, asymmetric swelling, and drainage, of pus, fever, chills, and “feeling sick”.3. –Protect your scars from the sun - staying out of the sun is the best advice. Minimal exposure to sunlight is prevents hyperpigmentation (permanently turning brown) and other problems that can make the scar more noticeable. Sunscreen, at least 30 SPF and an overlying make camouflage make up additionally protects the scar from the suns harmful rays. This advice is especially important the first year following your surgery.
4. – Use specific scar maturation products recommended by your surgeon. Patients seem to have their own opinions on this touting everything from Pure Vit E, Coco butter, to Aloe Vera, etc but most have minimal benefit other than keeping the scar hydrated. Although hydration is important there are better, scientifically studied products with greater efficacy. Most of the scientific articles written about this subject indicate that topical silicone gel or silicone sheets work the best. There are a lot of products to choose from, but silicone should be one of the key ingredients. Although Mederma, an onion extract derivative active ingredient rather than mainly silicone based may help, primarily silicone based products are better and many also contain other ingredients that may be synergistic (hydrocortisone or other steroid, Vitamin E, Sunscreen,etc). At the present time I prefer BioCorneum or Kelo-Cote products and if the reader has problems obtaining these they can call my office. Patient compliance is also critical – use often and according to directions or it will not work optimally. NEVER apply products without first discussing them with your surgeon.
5. – Monitor to make sure your scar is progressing optimally. Keep your scheduled follow-up appointments with your surgeon to verify that your scars are maturing as expected. Occasionally if indicated you may need a topical steroid preparation or even a series of injections (5-FU and/or Steroids) or laser treatments to treat or prevent scar hypertrophy or keloid formation (red raised scars), or other topical medicines to treat post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (brown scars) with prescription creams and possible laser treatments.

Thank you for your question regarding the most effective scar cream to use after a tummy tuck. While there are many scar creams on the market, the key to improving the appearance of a tummy tuck scar lies in consistent care and silicone-based products.

Silicone-based scar gels or sheets are widely considered the gold standard for scar management. These products create a protective barrier over the scar, helping to retain moisture, reduce redness, and soften the tissue, leading to a flatter and less noticeable scar over time.My favorite brand is Biocorneum.

In addition to silicone-based products, you can also consider using sunscreen with a high SPF (50 or above) on the scar whenever it's exposed to the sun. Sun protection is crucial, as UV rays can darken and worsen the appearance of scars.

It's important to remember that scar healing is a long-term process, often taking 6-12 months to fully mature. Make sure to follow your plastic surgeon's recommendations for scar care and stay consistent with applying the cream.

Good luck with your recovery, and I hope this helps answer your question regarding the best scar cream for your tummy tuck!

Sincerely,
Dr. Katzen

Abdominoplasty scars can be quite complex, ranging from the simple hypertrophic scar to a multiplane inflamed keloid. Pigmentation, discoloration, chronic inflammation, scar visibility can all occur in the short term. We begin each treatment with combination therapy using Yellow broadband BBL, Vbeam, fractional erbium, intralesional IIT, and scar modulation. Start with a combination of Plato's Scar Serum massaged twice daily after one week of epithelialization followed by Luminase/Exfolase. Scar consultation and revision may be recommended.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Thank you for your question! For my patients, having any procedure, I recommend they use a silicone based scar cream called Biocorneum. Silicone is the key ingredient in minimizing the appearance of scars. Best of luck!

Thank you for your question.  Scar maturation can be enhanced and scar appearance improved with scar massage, topical silicone scar gel or silicone sheeting, and proper protection of the scar from the sun.  It can take up to one year for scars to reach their final state - so patience is also important!

It’s not unusual for patients to be concerned about scaring
following abdominoplasty surgery.The
scars from this procedure are potentially long and not easily hidden.In an
effort to minimize scarring, a variety of maneuvers have been utilized.These include techniques designed to decrease
tension on the wound closure, examples include steristrips embrace, silicone
scar sheeting and compressive support devices.Massage
of scars with a variety of topical agents has been utilized in an effort to
minimize scarring.It’s also important
to avoid sun exposure and tanning.In
the occasional patient who develops hypertrophic scarring steroid injections
may be helpful as well.It’s
important to remember that wound remodeling occurs for at least 12 to 18 months
following surgery.If you’re concerned about
scarring following abdominoplasty surgery, it’s important to discuss this issue
with your plastic surgeon.Your surgeon
should be able to help you manage this problem.

Hello! Thank you for the question! It is common for scars to fully mature for up to a year. In the meantime, there are a few things that may help to ameliorate your incision/scar. The most proven (as well as cheapest) modality is simple scar massage. Applying pressure and massaging the well-healed scar has been shown to improve the appearance as it breaks up the scar tissue, hopefully producing the finest scar as possible. Other things that have been shown to add some benefit, albeit controversial, are silicone sheets, hydration, and topical steroids. These can usually be started at approximately 3-4 weeks postop and when incisions healed. In addition, avoidance of direct sunlight to the incision will significantly help the appearance as they tend to discolor with UV light during the healing process. Scars will never disappear, but attempt is made to make the finest scar in a concealed location. If unsightly scars are still present after approximately a year's time, other things that your surgeon may consider are intralesional steroid injections, laser, or just surgical revision of the scar itself. Hope that this helps! Best wishes!

Follow your surgeon's pre and post surgery care instructions closely. You can try Dermatix, which is what I usually recommend.

I tend to agree with Dr. Singer's assesment. Generally, silicone scar sheets are probably the best at modifying the scar maturation process. Silcone gel creams or preparations with a sunblock are probably second best and there are countless products out there. Other preparations, in my opinion, such as Mederma or home remedies such as cocoa butter, aloe vera, vitamin E have weak if any true research supporting true effectiveness.

Thank you for your post. In tummy tuck and other lift/tightening surgeries, tension is the enemy. The scar is healing gradually over 12 weeks or so, and until it is strong, it is the weakest link. As there is a great deal of tension in tummy tucks, body lifts, breast lifts, etc., the scar is at high risk of 'stretching' or widening. Silicone sheeting, although having the ability to make a scar flat, does nothing to prevent stretching of the scar. Creams or steroids or lasers also do not have the ability to prevent stretching of the scar. Those are used if scar is thick or dark, but not to reduce the wideness of the scar, which is the main problem. Massage also does not help keep the scar thin, and can actually worsen the scar in the first 12 weeks because you are actually adding tension to the scar. Massage is for softening a hard or thick scar, but if used early, will hasten the scar widening. Only tension reduction has the ability to keep the scar as thin as possible. You may notice in a lot of tummy tuck scars that the center portion of the scar is the widest with the sides toward the hips being the thinnest. This is because the maximum tension is at the center, and least amount on the sides. Embrace removes a lot of the tension by putting more tension on the skin on either side of the incision and drawing the incision together. It is expensive though at about $100 per week for 12 weeks. When patients do not want to spend the money for embrace, I tape the incision trying to remove as much tension as possible for 12 weeks and recommend no stretching back and to sit most of the time, keeping tension off the scar.Best wishes,Pablo Prichard, MD