Tummy Tuck Scar is Not As Promised by my Physician, What Should I Do?

Melartgirl;

I'm with you on this one. I have performed over 800 tummy tucks and have never had the situation where I put a 'T' shaped scar on a patients abdomen. It's a matter of knowing when to do a full tuck, when to do a mini-tuck, when to perform an extended mini-tuck with umbilical float and when not to operate because you  know that the patient will not like where the scar is. I think that the 'T' scar is a bad look. I would definitely mention it at your next visit.

It is true that after a tummy tuck most patients will only have a belly button scar, as well as a long transverse scar which is concealed by clothing.  When there is only a moderate amount of upper abdominal skin excess, it is sometimes impossible to completely remove the old belly button site, necessitating the placement of a small vertical scar in between the belly button and the horizontal scar.  Without photos or a pre-operative exam it is impossible to know why exactly a vertical incision was made in your case.  What I can say is that four weeks is still very early.  It is much too early to make any final judgements about your results.  It takes up to a year for scars to take on their permanent appearance.  Some scars that initially look horrible and are worrisome, fade over time and become a non-issue.  It is important for you to honestly discuss your concerns with your plastic surgeon.  In the event that you remain concerned with your scar, and that something can be done to improve it's appearance, most plastic surgeons will revise the scar at no extra cost if they performed the initial surgery.

Many of us do have situtations where we need to leave a small vertical scar where the old belly button used to be. You can't always tell before surgery. But it should be small and it really does heal well with time, usually better than the rest! Give it time. And had your doctor tried to pull as hard as he could to get it out, you may have ended up with dead skin at the bottom of your tummy...and really have a problem then..