What are your recommendations for scar prevention and treatment post body liposuction?

Question

I have my appointment with a very well reviewed, bard certified plastic surgeon. Incisions will be in my belly button, flanks, and under arms. Still I want to make scarring is minimal. Any tips on post opp care, supplements, or even treatments to minimize scarring?

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear tyty82,
scar prevention begins in the OR during the surgery when I meticulously close wounds in multiple layers in order to reduce tension and reduce scars width. I tape my incisions during the early postoperative period to reduce micromotions of the tissues so the incision can heal earlier. I also use compression garments and later Biocorneum gel.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Plastic surgery scars require attention after surgery so that they remain cosmetically-appealing and barely noticeable. In our office, we use a protocol for scars that minimizes their activity in the 6-8 weeks after surgery. If you have late plastic surgery scars, you may also require laser and RF therapy to help reduce the longterm effects of the scarring. Keloids, hypertrophic scars, widened scars, red scars, and hyperpigmented scars all require scar modulation with topical creams followed by lasers and RF therapy. Topical skincare should be directed to a specific need, whether for pigmentation or hypertrophy and our office can guide you through the process to obtain the correct Plato’s Scar cream or Melarase cream for hypertrophy and discoloration. In terms of lasers, we would employ the vbeam laser for redness, Venus Viva RF, PRP microneedling, chemical peels, and Morpheus 8, fractional erbium, or fractional co2. All of these have their individual benefits. Most of all, we recommend you visit a solid plastic surgeon who understands surgical scar revision, laser therapy, and RF therapy for scars. 
 
Best, 
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Sacha Obaid, MD · Answer

This is a question asked quite frequently by my patients.  Following your surgeon's postoperative care instructions is the first step.  It is best to also avoid sun exposure and use a silicone based scar cream to the incisions every day for the first 6 months to a year.  You may also want to ask your surgeon about any laser therapy options available too.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

I recommend following up with your physician about their suggested after care protocol. I have my patients wear compression for 3 to 6 weeks straight then overnight for 3-6 months after their procedure. I suggest adding hyperbaric oxygen and lymphatic massage along with your compression to help decrease swelling. Our surgical incision post care bundle (see link) assists with proper healing over time.
Best, Dr. Emer

Emmanuel Mallol Cotes, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. What I recommend is to follow your plastic surgeon post op advices he is the one that will knows you better and know what is the recommendations that you need to follow.

Respectfully,
Dr. Emmanuel Mallol Cotes.-

George Marosan, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. I place my 1 cm liposuction incisions low in the groin area, inside the belly button, in the breast crease, top of the buttock crack and in the armpits. I use port protectors, so there's no irritation to the skin from the liposuction cannula. These are "stealth" incisions, there's no sign that you had liposuction at all. Postop care varies among plastic surgeons from using massage, to drains, to good protein intake and vitamin C. Discuss this with your surgeon. I find that there's no need for scar treatment. Good luck with your surgery.

Jayanthy Ravindran, MS, DNB, MRCS · Answer

Liposuction is a cosmetic surgery done to remove the excess fat in certain parts of the body. 
A skilled surgeon knows how to carry on a liposuction surgery with minimal scarring. Scarring is the result of poor incision placement during the lipo procedure. Hyperpigmentation is another side effect of liposuction. It makes the incision look more prominent once it heals on your skin.

After the liposuction, the surgeon instructs you to wear compression garments over the area of fat removal. Wearing this garment will reduce the risk of scarring. Silicone gel sheets and silicone gel are the most popular treatment for minimizing scarring and these methods have been medically proven. Silicone gel hydrates your skin and prevents your body from insuring extra collagen cells during the healing process.

Chemical peeling or microdermabrasion is another technically proven method to remove layers of scar tissues from your skin. The most common side effect seen in this treatment is the redness of your skin.

Cryotherapy is a treatment used to treat hypertrophic and keloid scars. This procedure jabs the scar tissue and freezes it with nitrogen gas from inside out. It doesn’t cause much pain and discomfort. Scars will swell, release discharge, and then fade with cryotherapy. Laser therapy, scar removal surgery are some of the other techniques to reduce scarring.

Camille Cash, MD · Answer

Incisions from liposuction are very small and tend to heal where they are almost imperceptible.  You can consider using silicone strips and over the counter scar creams once given the okay by your surgeon.  The key is that these treatments must be used consistently for the recommended period of time in order to achieve the best result.

Douglas Taranow, DO, FACOS · Answer

Once the incisions have healed over (scabs are gone and no drainage), you may consider:
Silicone get application several times a day:  Mederma scar gel or ScarGuard
Silicone tape application on those incisions that are flat where the tape will stay:  3M product called Micropore-S
Best wishes.
Dr. Taranow

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

Most people who heal normally do not need intervention for scars. Providers vary in their approach to where and how many incisions to place. The goal is typically to have the least number of incisions and still not compromise aesthetic outcomes.

Incisions should be strategically placed so that they can easily be covered by undergarments.

Skin incisions take 12 to 18 months before they stop maturing.

People who are prone to hypertrophic or keloid type Scars should have interventions during the first year of healing. Those who heal normally typically do not see significant improvements by doing other things then just giving a time.

Best,

Mats Hagstrom MD

What are your recommendations for scar prevention and treatment post body liposuction?

Answers (10)

More Liposuction Questions

WE SEND PRETTY
EMAILS

Answers (10)

More Liposuction Questions

What can be done about creases and hole from liposuction 6 months post op? (photos)

Can liposuction help get rid of my b-shaped stomach? (photos)

Will lipo give me a nicer stomach? (Photo)

Petite -- am I a candidate for saddlebag liposuction? (Photo)

Would liposuction be a good choice for me?

How to fix my dog ear and dents/dips after a tummy tuck? (photos)

WE SEND PRETTY EMAILS

WE SEND PRETTY
EMAILS