Can my hip tattoo be removed or avoid during tummy tuck? (Photos)

The tattoo is near the expected incision line, normal skin crease. The top portion may be removed, but not entire tattoo during tummy tuck.

It may be possible to leave the tattoo intact and go around it, slightly higher on belly there.

In my experience, many similar patients are ok if a portion of tattoo is removed. Can try to remove rest of tattoo after tummy tuck skin settles. Some patients re-tattoo also.

Further discussion with your/a plastic surgeon is recommended.

Would not recommend try to remove entire tattoo during tummy tuck as

Traditional tummy tuck which includes skin removal, repair of the rectus muscle, and repositioning of the belly button is typically performed with a low abdominal incision that would hide in a bikini or underwear. Based on the location of your left hip tattoo, that tattoo could be removed with the excess skin to let the scar be in an easily camouflaged location. If you prefer to keep the tattoo, the incision would have to rest above it and would be more visible as a result. Dr Stein

Thank you for your inquiry! We, at Mays Plastic Surgery, would love to meet with you to discuss your concerns. There will be slight differences between surgeons and their surgical techniques. Find the one that has the same goals as yours and go with it. Be open with your goals with your surgeon. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Mays, a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, to help you reach your goals.

I think the tattoo will be removed. I can see were some providers would be nervous about complete removal, but I think it will be totally gone with a proper low transverse incision. If a small remnant remains, then laser removal will take care of the remaining pigment.

Thank you for your question. The tattoo is on the skin that needs to be excised or crossed out, so it will be affected. You can plan a complete removal with your surgeon by designing the abdominoplasty to include the entire tattoo to achieve the best contour.

The tattoo can be removed completely. The scar will be low and will encompass the tattoo. To leave the tattoo, a high scar would be necessary.

Thank you for your photos. It appears that the placement of your tummy tuck incision could be placed just barely above your tattoo, therefore preserving it. This should not affect the overall result of your tummy tuck, and would still allow you to tighten your tummy, repair your diastasis, and potentially improve the volume with some liposuction. Best wishes.

Hello, thanks for sharing your pictures. I have evaluated them, and unfortunately, there is no way to completely preserve your tattoo while still achieving good results and a proper suture line. Although it is possible to remove most of it, a very small part of the tattoo may remain, which I don’t think will be an issue. I hope this helps.

Thank you for your question about whether your hip tattoo can be removed or avoided during a tummy tuck. Thank you for your history and your interesting question. Thank you for your pictures. First, you do need an abdominoplasty or tummy tuck; liposuction will not work. Second, there were several different varieties of tummy tucks. Specifically, there are six types of abdominoplasties. The pattern depends on what type of abdominoplasty you want and your abdominal anatomy.. There is a horizontal abdominoplasty where an incision is made in the pubic region and carried out almost horizontally to your hips. Another variation is called a high lateral tension tummy tuck. During a high lateral tension tummy tuck, an incision is placed low in the pubic region and then extended high over the hips. Most experienced tummy tuck plastic surgeons would suggest a high lateral tension tummy tuck for you. During a high lateral tension tummy tuck, your tattoo will probably be completely removed. However, with a high lateral tension tummy tuck, the resulting scar is visible over the hips. That means if you were low hip huggers or low panties, the incision will show over the hips. However, the high lateral tension abdominoplasty gives you a more body shape and creates more of an hour-glass figure. Therefore, most plastic surgeons would be able to remove your tattoo completely if you consent to a high lateral tension tummy tuck. I hope this helps to answer your question regarding whether your hip tattoo can be removed during your tummy tuck.
If you have any more questions regarding tummy tucks, abdominoplasties, or abdominal liposuction, contact an experienced plastic surgeon. Since the tummy tuck surgery is a big procedure, please seek an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon with significant experience in performing tummy tucks. Do your research. If you cannot find an experienced tummy tuck plastic surgeon in your neighborhood, consider traveling out of state. Most plastic surgeons offer free virtual or in-office physical consultations. Therefore, explore what other plastic surgeons have to say.
Sincerely, Dr. Katzen. ( Plastic Surgeon, President of the American Society of Bariatric Surgeons, certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Fellow of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, American College of Surgery, and International College of Surgery and member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, RealSelf Hall of Fame, and RealSelf Doctor Advisory Board for Medical Review and Consumer Panel.)

Most tummy tuck incisions would indeed cut this in half. There are some imaginative ways that the whole thing could be either cut off or left in place, but you would surely have to know ahead of time how your scar will curve way off of the usual incision, which is gently curved. Also, it would be hard to guarantee that there was not some distortion of the retained tattoo.