Pleating After Tummy Tuck- Options? (photo)

Your scars look normal this shortly after surgery.  The pleating WILL go away after about 3 months.  When I perform tummy tucks sometimes I need to pull in the skin and this creates the look you show us in your pictures.  I have yet to need to revise my scars.  I explain to my patients that they will look pretty awful right after the surgery and that over 3 months it will smooth out.  It always does.  The end points, however, seem like they may need a small touch up but that's something very minor that could be done just in the clinic with some freezing, you don't need to worry about requiring a major procedure.

 

Sincerely,

Martin Jugenburg, MD

Scars from tummy tuck can look pretty worrisome early on.  You are less than 2 weeks postop when these photos were taken and I can certainly see the pleating and dog ears you are concerned about.  However, you are very early in the healing process.  At this stage, things are very swollen, and swelling can make those pleats look pronounced and the dog ears look humongous.  It is very probable that you will smooth out nicely over time as the healing progresses.  I do understand your concern about living abroad and not being able to easily get a scar revision later.  However, reoperating this early with this amount of swelling and inflammation of the tissues may be really difficult and I would not do it.  I do believe that the majority of this will resolve on its own with time.