1 year after mommy makeover - hardened scar tissue is now visible at incision site, will this go away with weight loss? (photos)

Hello and thank you for your question! In general, scars can take approximately 1 year to fully "mature". It is rare to see significant changes in the scar tissue around/after this timeframe. Areas of scar that feel firm/hard under the skin can happen after plastic surgery and there may be different causes. One cause may be scar tissue around the previous internal suture sites. Another may be scar tissue forming around fat cells called "fat necrosis." Options to alleviate these issues can range from massage to injections of steroids to a scar revision procedure. An in-person consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon for a physical exam will help guide your diagnosis and options.

I think some weight loss and some liposuction wound help significantly. If that doesn't resolve everything, then re-excision of the scar and hardened areas may be needed. Best Wishes!!

Dear Melbell85,
I understand your concern. However, without a proper assessment, it would be difficult to determine what went wrong. It is best that you visit your plastic surgeon for further assessment or ask for a second opinion. Only after a thorough examination, you can get proper recommendations and advice.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

I encourage you to return to your surgeon for an evaluation to determine what may be causing the firmness you feel. The solution depends on the cause. Further weight loss may make it more visibly noticeable but rather than stop your weight loss journey I recommend exploring the cause.

If it is actual hard scar tissue, it can be excised by your surgeon in the office under local anesthesia. Lossing weight may actually show it more. Please discuss this with your surgeon.

Your pictures are insufficient to make a good assessment. I suggest posting proper before and after pictures for us to be able to make an assessment on the outcome of your procedure. If you don’t have proper before and after pictures and ask the surgeon who did your procedure to forward the ones they took.
At the incision line they’re a square tissue all the way from your skin all the way down to the muscle layer. Square tissue often feels firm and it does so often up over time but sometimes there’s always some firmness there. There’s also a substantial number of absorbable sutures in that area that continue to create mild inflammation that can contribute to that firmness over time.
I suggest you follow up with your provider.
It looks like you have a bulging abdomen which could indicate that you have excess visceral fat.
Again, your pictures are insufficient to make an assessment.
Try posting standard before and after pictures.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom MD

Hi and welcome to our forum!
From your photos, I note lower abdominal fullness, the cause of which is unknown. It could represent disruption of the anterior midline fascial suture line following abdominoplasty, a seroma, or excessive scar deposition after hematoma / seroma, or a lower abdominal fat repository (or perhaps an entity totally unrelated to abdominoplasty). A physical examination is required to determine the nature of this mass. Without knowledge of your height / weight or the nature of the mass, I cannot comment on the effect of proposed weight loss. Fatty tissue will shrink with weight loss, while scar tissue will not significantly change.
Revisit your plastic surgeon for evaluation and discussion.
Best wishes...

Hi. It is hard to tell from these pictures exactly what the problem is. However, from what you are describing, you may have scar tissue, sutures or dead fat. It's best to get it examined by a plastic surgeon and discuss treatment options.