Will my previous scarring from surgery cause problems for me to have a tummy tuck? (Photos)

Dear Keelylewis93
Thanks for your question and sharing your photograph. You will need a clinical assessment by a plastic surgeon who can assess the scars location, presence of scar tissue and amount of excess skin. The scars below your belly button will go after abdominoplasty and scar above the belly button potentially can go as well but one needs to examine you before telling you for sure. I hope you find this explanation helpful. Amir Sadr MD

It should be possible to perform a tummy tuck and include removal of the scar above your belly button, but in order to do this you may need to accept a slightly higher scar than usual following this operation (depending on how lax your abdominal tissues are and how tight they are on closure).

HI Keelylewis93,
I would envision the existing scar above the belly button, and the right lower quadrant scar, going away during a tummy tuck.
The top horizontal incision above the belly button will be made into the top incision for the tummy tuck. This scar is slightly higher toward the sides than would be typical (I would make a gentle curve with the maximum just above the belly button), and this means that the off-midline portion of your post-op scar will be higher than some. As long as you are okay with a slightly-higher-than-usual final scar position (ask your PS for their estimate as to where the scar would be), your existing scars would not preclude surgery.
Separate but related--your PS will want to know WHY you have these scars-the horizontal scar, if continued through to the intra-abdominal space--would have cut through both six pack muscles, which may impact your core strength and ability to have rectus muscle plication.
Hope this helps.
Best,Christopher Pannucci MDBoard Certified Plastic SurgeonPlastic Surgery NorthwestSpokane, WA