When Can I Stop Worrying About my Tummy Tuck Scar Stretching and Widening?

It may take several months for a #tummytuck patient’s scars to soften, for sensation to return, and for relaxing of the tight sensation in the abdomen. In the case of extensive surgery, abdominoplasty recovery can be uncomfortable and may take longer. Scars may stay red, become thick or widen . It can take 12-18 months for the scars to settle.These can be improved with topical treatments such as BioCorneum, Scar Guard , Scar Fade and Mederma. Redness can be improved with laser treatments and the scars can be kept narrow with products such as Embrace. On occasion, keloids or hypertrophic scars can develop and will need treatment including Kenalog, 5FU and laser.

It’s not
unusual for patients who’ve had adverse scarring in the past to worry about
unattractive incisions following revisional surgery.These unattractive scars occur for a variety
of reasons.In some cases they’re
related to the patients biologic healing capacity, while in some other cases it’s
related to mechanical factors such as high tension wound closure.Several steps can be taken to minimize the
spread of scars following this type of procedure.Anything that decreases the tension on the
wound closure can help minimize scar spread.For this reason, we utilize steristrips, silastic sheeting and mircopore
tape for 6-8 weeks following surgery.At
two months the wound has healed and regained most of its tensile strength.At three weeks it’s probably
reasonable to straighten your back and walk in an upright position.It’s important to realize that each patients
wound healing characteristics are unique and for this reason port-operative
care needs to be individualized.In most
cases wounds have regained most of their strength in 6-8 weeks, but it’s also
important to realize that the wound healing process continues for a year.

The results of your revision may be influenced by the amount of tension on the scar and your genetics. Keep a close eye on your scars to prevent recurrence. Raffy Karamanoukian, Los Angeles

The healing process is a year long event.  Don't worry.  After three weeks you should be standing straight.  Start using a scar cream, Vit E and Cocoa Butter massaged into the scars consistently twice a day.  If redness persists i will often use a pulse dye laser to aid in maturation.  Scar tapes can help too.  Good Luck

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