3 months post op of Tummy Tuck, the scar is very red. Is this normal? (photos)

In "surgery time" 3 months after a tummy tuck isn't a very long period of time. It will take several more months for your scar to completely mature. During this time you will notice that the redness of your scar will fade, and the thickness of the scar will soften up as well. I agree with you massaging your scar, as you are currently doing, as this may speed up the process a bit. Thanks for sharing!

Abdominoplasty scars can be quite complex, ranging from the simple hypertrophic scar to a multiplane inflamed keloid. Pigmentation, discoloration, chronic inflammation, scar visibility can all occur in the short term. We begin each treatment with combination therapy using Yellow broadband BBL, Vbeam, fractional erbium, intralesional IIT, and scar modulation. Start with a combination of Plato's Scar Serum massaged twice daily after one week of epithelialization followed by Luminase/Exfolase. Scar consultation and revision may be recommended.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

At this time, your scar is still new and is more visible. It generally takes about a year for scars to mature, by which time it will most likely fade into a silvery thin line. Hyperpigmentation can make scarring more visible, and is worsened by sun exposure. You should avoid exposing your scar to the sun, particularly for the full year after your surgery. You can try silicone gel or silicone sheeting, which can help reduce the appearance of scars. Please ask your surgeon for their advice as well.

Thank you for your picture. This redness months after your tummy tuck is quite normal. This represents healing well beneath the scar for strength. When this scar strengthens this redness will go away.

At this point your scar appears to be fine and red.  The duration of this early healing phase varies widely from patient to patient -- some will see early fading in 1-2 months, others may take upwards of 8-12 months.  Keeping the scar our of the sun is important, as young scars have no innate sun protection from pigment.  Some of the over-the-counter scar creams may offer some benefit in terms of helping the scar fade more quickly, but I don't place too much faith in any of them to change the scar permanently.  Try to be patient, as your scar quality looks very good and the redness will fade in time.

Scars can be red for sometime after surgery.  By three months you should see some improvement in the redness but it could take 6 months or longer to go away completely.  There are some treatments that may help but these are concerns that should be addressed by your plastic surgeon after a proper examination.

Hi, mgeorges. Hopefully your scar has improved and is now satisfactory?  While your question was asked some time ago, I would like to add to the responses, perhaps to help other patients with the same question and concern:Three months out from surgery can be a very funky time as far as scars go. Providing a well-executed repair of your icision by your surgeon, with good support, the incision line is expected to be clean, thin, and flat. (There may be some minor skin puckers, due to correction gathering or areas of stretch marks, that will resolve.). As the incision heals, the scar begins to form and will go through different stages for months and even years. The scar will begin turning pink, and in many may begin to develop a darker, brighter, more purplish or purplish-brown color. Initially the scar will be thin and flat. From this stage, many changes may occur, some predictable and others not as predictable. The scar may begin to widen; thicken; become more raised and lumpy; become more thin, stretched, and jagged; itch; become painful; become more intensely colored; become darker, more purplish or brown; etc., or a combination. Many factors influence the course of one's scar and the final outcome, again some of these factors are predictable and some not so predictable. Some of these factors may be controlled to a certain degree and some cannot. Genetics and a person skin type is a major factor, and cannot be controlled. The location of the scar also is a major factor -- scars on the eyelids, for example, are largely favorable while scars on the upper chest, deltoid area and jaw carry a much higher risk of developing thickening. The orientation of the scar is also critical -- scars following the natural skin lines will fair better than scars in an opposite or in a different direction than the skin lines. For example, the lower, horizontal scar of a tummy tuck will generally due better than a verticle, up and down abdominal scar. Scars will likely do more poorly if the tissues were closed under tension, the circulation of the tissue is suboptimal, the tissues were not well-aligned or not well-supported, there is subsequent skin edge separation or poor healing, infection develops, scabbing present, the tissues become dessicated (dried out), etc. The type of suture used, the number of layers placed, and the care in aligning and supporting the tissues by your surgeon will also influence the scar quality. And finally, the care of the scar by the patient will also have some influence -- keeping the incision clean and slightly moist/protected during the healing period, avoid stress and pull to the suture line, avoiding trauma and compression to the suture line, and providing support and a protective layer (taping, silicone, other scars gels, ?oils, massage, etc.) during the scar phase. Abnormal scarring, such as keloid formation, or over-reactive scar formation (hypertrophy) may require intervention -- and the earlier, the better. It is difficult to evaluate scars from a photo, unless it is significantly abnormal, as the colors are often distorted (especially the red and blues that are typical color elements of a scar -- pink, purple, brown), valuable information of a 3D structure is lost in 2D, and the lights and shadows may obscure or artificial enhance the appearance. I would encourage a patient to discuss the appearance of the scar with his/her surgeon, particularily if there has been a change. At three months, one may be able to positively impact and significantly improbpve the appearance of the scar. I have patients apply a petroleum-based ointment (Vicks) during tne healing phase to provide an optimum moisture environment for the incision; early showering with a chlorihexidine soap to keep the incision clean and free from scabbing; followed by a taping program (the type of tape depending on the scar appearance and progress), once the incision has healed, for many months. Additionally, when possible, I recommend compression and massage of the scar. Each surgeon has his/her scar regimine, and I would always defer to the patient's surgeon.

All scars get thicker and redder over the first 6 weeks after a wound is made.  This usually settles down over the first 4 months or so but takes longer in situations where the skin is thicker and the blood supply is worse.  You appear to  have an excellent result in general.  We would have you use biocorneum on your wound to assist in management of the scar but I believe that you're simply going to be a slow process to complete resolution of your scar or for 1-2 years of total time.

You incision appears to be healing well. It can take anywhere from 9-12mths for the incision to begin fading into a fine white line. Be sure to not get any sun exposure on the incision while it is still red.