I'm 6 ft tall...my scar is 24 inches long and about 2-3 inches higher than the doctor and I discussed. I saw 4 different doctors and I still ended up looking horrible. Can this be fixed at all? Do I laser the scar? These pictures are 10 months post op. I seriously have no idea what went wrong with the surgery. My doctor did the total opposite of what she said and she is a board certified plastic surgeon in Orange County. In the end I want to know what I can do if anything?
Answer: Abdominoplasty Scar Hello,The tummy tuck itself seems to be ok, with well healed scars and a reasonably natural looking belly button. The problem is that as skilled and experienced your surgeon is, he made the mistake that most surgeons continue to make time and again: to prioritize getting the old belly button hole in the skin flap out at all costs. Those costs are substantial. In your case, it led to poor (too high) placement of your scar, which he clearly did intentionally. We should use the same principles for tummy surgery that we use for facial surgery: placing the incision in-between 'aesthetic units'. When this is done, and the incision is placed exactly where it belongs in every person, at the thigh-abdominal border laterally, and low across the pubic triangle centrally, the resultant scar no longer catches the eye. When done like this, it is common to have to close the belly button hole, leaving a vertical scar in the midline. This scar is much more inconspicuous though. The current location of your scar will be impossible to fix unfortunately, without either getting pregnant again or having tissue expanders placed in a staged operation. Best of luck.
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Answer: Abdominoplasty Scar Hello,The tummy tuck itself seems to be ok, with well healed scars and a reasonably natural looking belly button. The problem is that as skilled and experienced your surgeon is, he made the mistake that most surgeons continue to make time and again: to prioritize getting the old belly button hole in the skin flap out at all costs. Those costs are substantial. In your case, it led to poor (too high) placement of your scar, which he clearly did intentionally. We should use the same principles for tummy surgery that we use for facial surgery: placing the incision in-between 'aesthetic units'. When this is done, and the incision is placed exactly where it belongs in every person, at the thigh-abdominal border laterally, and low across the pubic triangle centrally, the resultant scar no longer catches the eye. When done like this, it is common to have to close the belly button hole, leaving a vertical scar in the midline. This scar is much more inconspicuous though. The current location of your scar will be impossible to fix unfortunately, without either getting pregnant again or having tissue expanders placed in a staged operation. Best of luck.
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November 13, 2016
Answer: Give it to me straight. Is this a bad tummy tuck? Thank you for your question and photos. There's no straight answer, but this is not the location where most plastic surgeons would place an abdominoplasty scar. It is very,very high. Even though the contour looks OK, this detracts from your results, limiting the type of swimwear and other clothing you might hoped to wear. Preoperative photos would've been helpful. When I see a patient who might not have enough skin laxity to place the incision low with a standard tummy tuck, I always tell them that they will end up with a small vertical incision in the lower abdomen/pubic area. I like to place my incisions at the pubic bone level and keep it in the thigh crease laterally. The small vertical scar can be removed under local anesthesia in one year. This scar cannot be lowered! I'm sorry that you did not achieve the results that you expected.
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November 13, 2016
Answer: Give it to me straight. Is this a bad tummy tuck? Thank you for your question and photos. There's no straight answer, but this is not the location where most plastic surgeons would place an abdominoplasty scar. It is very,very high. Even though the contour looks OK, this detracts from your results, limiting the type of swimwear and other clothing you might hoped to wear. Preoperative photos would've been helpful. When I see a patient who might not have enough skin laxity to place the incision low with a standard tummy tuck, I always tell them that they will end up with a small vertical incision in the lower abdomen/pubic area. I like to place my incisions at the pubic bone level and keep it in the thigh crease laterally. The small vertical scar can be removed under local anesthesia in one year. This scar cannot be lowered! I'm sorry that you did not achieve the results that you expected.
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November 12, 2016
Answer: High Incision with high tummy tuck There are alternative incisions for patients with a long pubic to umbilical distance but that ship has sailed.
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November 12, 2016
Answer: High Incision with high tummy tuck There are alternative incisions for patients with a long pubic to umbilical distance but that ship has sailed.
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November 12, 2016
Answer: Is this a bad tummy tuck? I am sorry to hear about your concerns after tummy tuck surgery. As you can imagine, a "fair assessment" would require much more information including details of your preoperative physical examination and prep communication. In other words, what you and your plastic surgeon discussed will be relevant when it comes to evaluating the outcome of the procedure performed. Having said that, I think that your outcome does leave much to be desired; the scar sits somewhat high on your torso and the asymmetry is quite noticeable. Unfortunately, it may take months/years before there is enough tissue laxity to allow for lowering of the scar and/or improvement of symmetry. Best wishes.
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November 12, 2016
Answer: Is this a bad tummy tuck? I am sorry to hear about your concerns after tummy tuck surgery. As you can imagine, a "fair assessment" would require much more information including details of your preoperative physical examination and prep communication. In other words, what you and your plastic surgeon discussed will be relevant when it comes to evaluating the outcome of the procedure performed. Having said that, I think that your outcome does leave much to be desired; the scar sits somewhat high on your torso and the asymmetry is quite noticeable. Unfortunately, it may take months/years before there is enough tissue laxity to allow for lowering of the scar and/or improvement of symmetry. Best wishes.
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Answer: Is your results from a tummy tuck bad? It depends on what your priorities were. If you wanted a flat tummy without any vertical scars, you have a great result. If you wanted low scar with removal of your old pfannenstiel scar, you have a bad result. Your belly button is normal for a tranposed belly button. Your scar is very high and I would ask why was your old scar not removed at the same time? But you would have had to accept a vertical scar if you chose that.
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Answer: Is your results from a tummy tuck bad? It depends on what your priorities were. If you wanted a flat tummy without any vertical scars, you have a great result. If you wanted low scar with removal of your old pfannenstiel scar, you have a bad result. Your belly button is normal for a tranposed belly button. Your scar is very high and I would ask why was your old scar not removed at the same time? But you would have had to accept a vertical scar if you chose that.
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