Cost to Remove Post-TT Dog Ears?

This would depend on the person who does this. We often discuss this at the original consultation and I recommend that we observe them for a few months. IF they persist and the patient did not insist on a short scar and can be easily removed under local in my office, I generally do not charge. If the individual requesting the do ear removal is not my patient or requested an excessively short scar, or were truly a candidate for an extended abdominoplasty or I cannot perform it in my office operatory or desire general anesthesia, then additional charges may be requested. In this situation, depending on what is done, costs can run from $500 to $2500.

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. The cost will depend on the extent of the surgery, the method used, the cost of the surgery center, and if the original surgeon is doing it.  Please speak with your Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. Together, you will figure out a plan.

Tummy tuck dog ears can be caused by excessive fat and skin laxity on the lateral aspects of the abdomen.  The cost is generally 1-3 thousand dollars to correct these areas with liposuction or surgical excision.

In our on-site, fully-accredited office surgical facility, where my partner and I perform all of our cosmetic surgeries, we have the following policy regarding touch-up or revisional surgery--which your situation certainly is: There is no surgeon's fee, but the patient is responsible for minimal operating room, anesthesia, and, if necessary, implant costs--none used for tummy tuck.

"Free" touch ups might become problematic, as some patients always want 'a little tighter," "a little higher," or "a little smoother." With "free" surgery you could see chasing an abdominal dog ear scar all the way around to a butt lift! So sharing the cost of revisional surgery seems to keep both surgeon and patient on their best behavior! And, it keeps the surgical costs to a reasonable price in the first place, since those doctors who offer so-called "free touch-ups" are actually "including" these costs in every operation! (Do you get a refund if touch-ups aren't necessary?)

Obviously, if you've spent a tidy sum for extensive surgery, we want you to be happy, and I'd rather not tie up myself and my staff and my operating room time with "free" surgery (since the rest are actual overhead costs, and I only take home the professional fee), so I really do my best to make my operation the best I know how. That keeps do-overs to a minimum, and yields the maximum number of really happy patients!

Check with your surgeon; this should have been spelled out prior to your tummy tuck, but even if it wasn't, or was somehow forgotten, he or she does have a policy to deal with these situations.

With very careful planning and execution, “dog ear" occurrence can be minimized. Occasionally (despite best efforts), 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. Cost will vary from one practice to another, as each practice has a different “policy”. I hope this helps.