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It might take several weeks for the steristrips to come off. Then, I usually recommend Mederma and massage for the scars.
Steri strips typically stay for 1-2 weeks and then either fall or are removed to inspect the incision. At this point, keep the incision moist with an antibiotic ointment for another week or two will optimize the healing. After that, silicone gel creams can improve the appearance of your scar.
The steristrip should fall off in two weeks or so, and scabs should fall off a couple of weeks after that. So, in total, it could take a month or so, depending on how you're healing.
If you just have a small degree of marginal skin ischemia, less then 2 mm or so then this should fall off in a few weeks. If you have full thickness skin loss it can take 6 to 8 weeks to heal.
It typically takes 2 weeks or so for all of the scabs and crusts to come off and for us to take off Steri Strips. We change them before this if needed, but we like to keep them on to protect the scabs. Whenever a scab is pulled off or brushed off before it's ready, it leaves a raw area, and this is the thing that makes scars thicker and wider. The more raw dermis that gets exposed the worse the scar is. That's another reason why meticulous closure and approximation of wound edges at surgery is important. Sometimes, depending upon the type of sutures used to close the wound, there may be some extrusion, or "spitting," of suture material as the body is breaking it down, and this can cause occasional opening of the superficial skin edges weeks after the surgery, with resultant scabs too.
It can take up to a month for all the scabs to fall off. Generally I tell my patients here in Miami that it will be at least one full month until they are "beach ready." best, M
The first thing to do is not despair; as I tell my own patients when this happens, seromas are a "drag" or a nuisance more than anything, but they very rarely if ever are cause for alarm. Basically it is a small collection of fluid that forms under the skin after operations like tummy...
I would recommend waiting 3-4 months to allow all of the swelling to resolve before making any final judgements about your shape. Then, you can see if you need any revisions.
Thank you for the question and picture. As you note, liposuction surgery may help improve the appearance of the upper abdomen in the areas that remain “fatty” but will not improve the appearance of the “dimpled” area. Your plastic surgeon will be your best resource in answeri...
