Liposuction 20 days ago. I have a big black scar. What should I do? (Photo)

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

Thank you for your question and sharing you photos. It appears you have suffered from skin necrosis, where the top level of your skin did not get enough blood supply after surgery. This can happen if your garment is too tight, your abdominal binder is too tight, you have a skin fold in the flank area, or if liposuction was too aggressive in the area. The skin may slough off, and there be an open wound for a bit of time. Consult with the board certified plastic surgeon who performed your procedure. They should offer wound care for you. They may recommend a wide variety of treatment options. In the mean time, you may want to start a high protein diet (if you can tolerate) to help promote healing to the area. Good luck.