Tummy Tuck/scar: how long does it take for the stitches to dissolve?

Question

After have a Tummy Tuck procedure how long does it normally take to heal completely? How long does it take for the stitches to dissolve?

Richard G. Reish, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello and thank you for your
question.  I placed all the stitches under the skin and they are dissolving sutures.  The scar tends to improve over the course of six months.  If you are an appropriate candidate for a tummy tuck, this can be done
through a low and short incision, all completely below the bikini line.  The belly button can be designed to look
natural and have no scars on the exterior.  
Your muscles can also be plicated resulting in a flat abdomen.  Make sure you specifically look
at before and after pictures of real patients who have had this surgery
performed by your surgeon and evaluate their results.  The most important
aspect is to find a surgeon you are comfortable with. I recommend that you seek
consultation with a qualified board-certified plastic surgeon who can evaluate
you in person.
Best wishes and good luck.
Richard G. Reish, M.D. FACS
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

W. John Bull, MD · Answer

It depends on the sutures used, but most of the time the sutures used to tighten the muscles are permanent and don't dissolve while the other sutures will dissolve over 3 months maybe 6 months for the deepest ones. The scar should start to look better after about 6 months. The scar continues to change for up to a year, but the strength of the scar is as good as it can be after about 6 to 12 weeks.

Richard Hainer, MD · Answer

Recovery after tummy tuck is typically based not on the speed of the incision healing but by the speed of the muscle repair healing. The skin incision typically heals quickly and is usually well healed within 2 to 3 weeks. If dissolvable stitches are used some may take up to 6 weeks or longer to dissolve. The muscle repair takes 6 weeks to heal for allowing patients to resume  unrestricted activities. Hope this helps. Good luck.

John A. Kotis, DO, FACS, FACOS · Answer

Each person is different with respect to his or her own healing. Stitches which are applied to tighten the muscle usually are permanent. The deep dermal stitches usually dissolve in three to six months. Scar evolves and changes over one to two years. Good luck in your search for plastic surgery

Karol A. Gutowski, MD, FACS · Answer

Healing is complex. The incision strength gets close to normal after 6 weeks but the scar continues to change for 1 to 2 years. Sutures dissolving depends on the suture type.

Robert H. Hunsaker, MD · Answer

The wounds, under normal healing circumstances, heal quite quickly and have a lot of strength within weeks. The buried stitches loose strength over a period of weeks/months can may not fully "dissolve" for many months. The actual scar tissue undergoes changes for several years - typically for the better.

Benjamin Van Raalte, MD · Answer

No one has invented the perfect dissolvable sutures. In some patients they "dissolve" uneventfully. In others, the process to dissolve them, the inflammatory response is closer to a minor infection or even acting like a pimple or boil. In some cases they actually become very inflamed and the patient states he is "allergic" to the sutures. Usually this peaks at about 6 weeks but can go 3 months, and in some cases as long as 6 months.

Robert J. Paresi Jr., MD, MPH · Answer

Thanks for the question.  The deeper sutures used for the incision line can take 2-3 months to dissolve depending on the type of sutures used.  The internal sutures used for the muscle repair are often permanent and do not dissolve over time.  The lower incision from a tummy tuck can often take 6-12 months to fully mature.  I recommend silicone sheets over the incision after two weeks postop.

Paul Loewenstein (retired) · Answer

Hello and thank you for your
question. I placed all the stitches under the skin and they are dissolving sutures. The scar tends to improve over the course of six months. If you are an appropriate candidate for a tummy tuck, this can be done
through a low and short incision, all completely below the bikini line. The belly button can be designed to look
natural and have no scars on the exterior.
Your muscles can also be plicated resulting in a flat abdomen. Make sure you specifically look
at before and after pictures of real patients who have had this surgery
performed by your surgeon and evaluate their results. The most important
aspect is to find a surgeon you are comfortable with. I recommend that you seek
consultation with a qualified board-certified plastic surgeon who can evaluate
you in person.
Best wishes and good luck.
Richard G. Reish, M.D. FACS
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

Tummy Tuck/scar: how long does it take for the stitches to dissolve?

Answers (9)

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