Dog ears after Tummy tuck. Any suggestions? (photos)

Thank you for your question and picture. This is a very common issue after a tummy tuck that involves a significant amount of skin resection. There is often excess skin that has to be pleated or bunched and this results in a slight mismatch. Often these areas can be treated with liposuction or possibly a small resection of the excess skin. It sounds like the abdominoplasty recovery was very rough for you but the procedure to correct this problem is very minor and could even possibly be done in the office setting under local anesthesia. Discuss your concerns with your plastic surgeon and see what options might be available to you. Best of luck!

This can be addressed under local freezing and excising it. This is not uncommon. Best of luck. Regards, 

This happens on occasion with abdominoplasty.  There are options.  A completely non invasive option would be CoolSculpting.  This can freeze the fat and deliver an improved contour.  More traditional options are some liposuction, or resection of skin/soft tissue.  This is a much smaller procedure than the original surgery and is usually well tolerated.  Please speak with your Board Certified Plastic Surgeon.  Together, you will figure out a plan.

The only way to eliminate a 100% a dog ear is to remove it through a minor surgical procedure which means extend couple of inches the incision of the Tummy Tuck. Recovery is very easy and almost nothing in comparison with the Tummy Tuck and the result is very good. Non invasive procedure will not fix the excess of skin.  Be encouraged. Dr. Cardenas 

Hello, Thank you for your question. A dog ear is the bulk of tissue (skin and or fat) that remains after a tummy tuck.  It does not always occur, but when it does it has a fairly simple solution: "cut it out".  This can be done after the majority of swelling has gone down (Usually after 3 months).  It can be done under local anesthesia, usually there are no drains after the procedure and most Plastic surgeons will place internal sutures rather than external.  It can be combined with mild liposuction in the area to de bulk the surrounding tissue also.Hope this helps,Dr. Dillon

You will need a small revision with some liposcutioning and possibly removing some skin.  It is a very simple and quick procedure.   Best of luck, Dr. Michael OmidiAn in-person exam with a board-certified plastic surgeon is the best way to assess your needs and provide true medical advice.

Since it has been a year after the tummy tuck the dog ears will need some type of revision. Removal of more skin and sometimes a little liposuction are the most common methods of revision and can be done under local anesthesia as an office procedure. There are some non-invasive skin tightening techniques with ultrasound, IPL, or lasers that might be helpful. They generally require a series of treatments and can involve some discomfort as well. An in-person exam is necessary to determine the best course. Good luck!

Occasionally, after tummy tuck surgery surgery, patients will have excess skin or adipose tissue at the very end of their incision lines. These may be referred to as “dog ears”. "Dog ears" refer to a bunching up of tissue at the end of a incision line/scar. Generally they occur because a surgeon, in his/her attempt to keep the scar as short as possible, has a discrepancy between the lengths of the upper and lower tummy tuck incision lines. They can be avoided by extending the incisions and removing additional skin and subcutaneous tissue. Most patients will much prefer a longer incision line than the bunching up of tissue and contour elevation, which is visible and palpable with and without clothing. Often, excision of the dog ear, if it's still a concern roughly one year postoperatively can be corrected easily under local anesthesia. Discuss your concerns/goal directly with your plastic surgeon, preferably in front of a full-length mirror. Working together you will come up with the best plan to improve your outcome.  Keep in mind, that this type of revisionary surgery is generally associated with minimal discomfort  and recovery. I hope this helps.

Hello.Is a very Common Issue after this procedure but luckily its completely fixable, it can be done with a bit of liposuction in the affected areas and a revision of the scar to remove the excess of skin and make it even.Regards 

"Dog ear" deformities essentially result from a mismatch between the excess skin on the abdomen and the length of scar used for the tummy tuck.  In most instances the scar wound up a little shorter than it really should have been in order to address all of the excess present.  Thus, the two most common methods of addressing this are a small amount of liposuction directly to the "dog ear" area, or extending the incision a little to remove the residual excess tissue.  Both of these can easily be done under local anesthesia with very little pain and very little downtime.  Either way, it will be nothing like your original surgery.  Which method is best will depend upon how much of the projection of the deformity is caused by excess fatty tissue thickness, and how much is caused by excess lax skin.  In the former case, liposuction would probably be adequate, and the advantage to this is that additional scar length is unnecessary.  On the other hand, if it's excess skin that needs to be removed to make a flat, smooth contour, then it will necessitate an extension of the original scar a bit, usually no more than a couple of inches or so.  Your surgeon will be able to evaluate this better in person and recommend the best method to address the problem.  Good luck.