How to Correct Dog Ears After Tummy Tuck?

"Dog ears" are very common after abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), so do not fret. I estimate maybe as many as 20% of all patients that undergo tummy tuck will end up with some degree of one on at least one side.
Some dog ears are simply puckers in the skin that only require reopening a portion of the "scar" and excising the loose skin, and some have residual underlying fullness that needs liposuction touch up to improve the shape.
Oftentimes, it is some of both. I wait until 6 months after a tummy tuck to determine if there is one present, and if so, will usually correct them as an office procedure under simple local anesthesia.
With some xylocaine in the office, touch up liposuction and excision of dog ears can be easily performed with a rapid recovery.
I hope this helps!

Hello janher2009. Thank you for your question regarding how to correct dog ears after a tummy tuck.

Dog ears, or excess skin and fat that protrude at the ends of a tummy tuck incision, are a common issue that can occur after surgery. They can be corrected through a minor revision surgery. This procedure is typically straightforward and can often be done under local anesthesia in an outpatient setting (like in your plastic surgeon's office). Your plastic surgeon will extend the incision slightly and remove the excess tissue, smoothing out the contour of your abdomen. This revision can significantly improve the appearance and symmetry of your tummy tuck results.

I recommend consulting with your original plastic surgeon or a board-certified plastic surgeon who has experience with tummy tuck revisions. They can assess your specific situation and determine the best approach to correct the dog ears.

Good luck, and I hope this helps answer your question regarding correcting dog ears after a tummy tuck.

Sincerely,

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FASMBS, FICS

This is a very common problem after a tummy tuck.  This is caused by puckering of the skin at the end of the incision.  This can usually be easily corrected in the office with excision of the excess skin under local anesthesia.  The downtime afterwards should be minimal.  Best of luck.  

Excess skin and fatty tissue that persist along the outer aspects of the wound is often referred to as a "dog ear" They can occur after a Tummy Tuck procedure and can sometimes be quite dramatic and to some degree unavoidable.  Correction often involves the simple excision of the dog ear/s by extending the scar under local anaesthetic.

"Dog ears" or raised/loose areas of extra skin at the ends of your tummy tuck scar are very common. They are related to surgical planning and technique and may be inevitable in some due to constraints on the length of the scar and the mismatch between the length of the upper and lower edges of skin.A simple office procedure under local anesthesia can remove dog ears by simply extending the length of the scar slightly but still keeping it well within your underwear or bathing suit coverage area.

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.

Thank you for your question.  Dog ears are often slight puckering of the skin at the ends of your tummy tuck scar.  Some patients will develop these on one or both sides of their scars and these are often corrected by simply excising this excess skin and a small portion of your prior tummy tuck scar.  For some patients, liposuction might also be necessary to remove some underlying fullness.  Commonly this procedure is performed under a local anesthetic.  I would recommend following up with your operating surgeon to discuss your concerns and determine what the best treatment plan for your dog ears would be.  Best of luck!

Dog ears are skin puckers where the end of your incision blends back into your untightened skin.  These may become apparent as the skin relaxes and your swelling improves.  These puckers are usually easily fixed under local anesthetic with minimal impact on your recovery.  

When there is skin puckering at the ends of the scar we call this dog ears.  It is possible for this to happen after abdominoplasty surgery.  Usually to fix this requires excising the dog ear- this can be performed under local anesthesia but this does result in lengthening the scar.  In some, localized liposuction may work.  in general we try to avoid dog ears- sometimes a slightly longer scar at the time of abdominoplasty may work out better in the long run.

The only way to correct dog ears is to excise them surgically.  Extending the scar to remove the lateral excess skin gives a nice result.

Dog ears are abnormal bulges of tissue that typically occur
along the ends of surgical incisions. 
This problem occurs for a variety of reasons, including discrepancies in
length of the opposing wound borders and wound closures around curved contours.

Dog ears can occasionally be seen following abdominoplasty
surgery.  When this occurs
secondary surgery may be necessary. 
In most cases this involves a simple excision of the dog ear under local
anesthesia.  In other cases where
the dog ear is large and extends posteriorly towards the back, correction may
require extension of the incision in a posterior direction.  In some cases where an abnormal roll of
tissue is present, this incision may extend to the midline of the back.

Although every effort is made to avoid dog ears during the
primary surgical procedure, this complication is occasionally unavoidable.  When the situation arises it’s important
to discuss your options with your plastic surgeon.  Your surgeon should be able to formulate a treatment plan
that addresses your concerns.