Mini abdominoplasty: At 5 weeks post the left half of scar is crinkled, is that normal? (photos)

Hello. Great question. At 5 weeks, you have yet to see your final results. Keep following your surgeon's post op  instructions.

Dear MaryAnn,   Thanks for submitting your picture and sorry for your disappointing result. Are you unhappy because of the scar or because of the over all outcome. It is clear from your picture that you were not and ideal candidate for mini tuck.     The indication for mini tummy tuck are very limited and in your case, since you have skin and muscles laxity from the upper abdomen to the lower abdomen, I would have tried to persuade you to have a full tummy tuck, because as you see from your own experience,   mini tummy tuck can be a  very unhappy compromise, which eventually, will bring you back to the operating room for a full tummy tuck with doubling of the cost and recovery time.   The full tummy tuck will lower your scar significantly, in addition to giving you a flat stomach and improved body posture. It will also, most likely, help you to lose significant amount of  weight , due to the abdominal muscles tightening , that will reduce the amount of food that you can eat and your sense of hunger.    Always, consult with experienced board certified plastic surgeons who operate in accredited surgery center for your safety. Most importantly, check the before and after pictures in the photo gallery, to make sure that they are numerous, consistent and attractive with the above mentioned features.                                Best of luck,                                                            Dr Widder

Dear MaryAnn25110,scars mature with time and it usually takes up to 12-18 months for the scar to fully heal. Your scar will change with time and become less visible. You can try silicone based gel to try to reduce the scarring. Daniel Barrett, MD, MHA, MS 
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery 
Member, Am. Society of Plastic Surgery

At five weeks post op your incision appears to be healing appropriately. You can expect to see changes with your incision over the next twelve months as healing continues. There is no obvious signs of concern from the submitted photos.

You are very early in the healing phase and do have swelling. Be patient and give yourself time to heal. You may be very happy with the results. Otherwise, scars can be revised and tweaked later once healed.

Thank you for your question. I feel that you would have been a better candidate for a full tummy tuck instead of mini. I would discuss with your surgeon what he final results are that you can expect. Best of luck

Looking at your photos it appears you have three issues:1. Mild irregularity to the scar itself - this can correct with some additional skin removal or just removing the old scar and whatever excess skin is on the overhanging side with a reclosure.2. You probably were a much better candidate for a full tummy tuck including liposuction of the flanks through the tummy tuck and belly button incisions and tightening of the muscle. Mini-tucks are really best for thin, athletic body types with minimal muscle weakness and a small pouch of extra skin above the pubic area. It is uncommon for patients with other body styles to get enough correction of the excess fat above the scar zone with just a mini tuck.3. You may have had unrealistic expectations originally or your surgeon may not have set expectations properly regarding length of scar. The length of the incision is determined by how much extra skin we are taking in what area and what the shape of the soft tissue looks like - if the contour is not right or there is a "dogear" of extra skin at either end, that never looks good and almost always has to be removed. Consequently, most of us will extend the incision as appropriate in the original operation in order to get as smooth a final contour as possible, even if it means a longer scar. However, in your case, the extension on one side healed better than the other or perhaps you had too little fat and skin removed on the bulging/overhanging side.You should understand that revising this either with a redo mini-tummy tuck (I don't recommend that) or conversion to a full tummy tuck, your scar will be even longer. However, if the contour and overall symmetry are significantly improved, it should be well worth the extension of the scar.

Not enough skin was removed; that's all; once the appropriate skin is removed, the tightness in the skin will be appreciated and the incision line will appear smoother.

The lumpiness, swelling, itching and hardness after a surgery like you had typically persists at least 8 weeks after the surgery then slowly goes away. In my experience, daily massage of the hard areas makes the biggest difference in getting rid of it sooner rather than later. It can easily take 6 months or more to see results. Your scars will usually flatten and fade between 9-12 months but can sometimes take closer to 18 months. Scar fading depends on your genetics. Be sure to keep any scheduled follow up appointments you have with your surgeons for his evaluation and advice. Hope this helps.
Dean Vistnes, M.D.
Vistnes Plastic Surgery
San Francisco Bay Area
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