Dog Ear Revision Recovery Time?

Question

I will be having a dog ear revision next week and wanted to know if I can do cardio exercise on precor machines within a couple of days after the procedure? I had a TT done 11 years ago and finally taking care of the dog ears. What happens to stitches if you lose about 10 more pounds after the revision? Thanks.

Tom J. Pousti, MD · Answer

Occasionally, after tummy tuck surgery surgery, patients will have excess skin or adipose tissue at the very end of their incision lines. These may be referred to as “dog ears”. "Dog ears"  refer to a bunching up of tissue at the end of a incision line/scar. Generally they occur  because a surgeon,  in his/her attempt to keep the scar as short as possible,  has a discrepancy between the lengths  of the upper and lower tummy tuck incision lines. They can be avoided by extending the incisions and removing additional skin and subcutaneous tissue. Most patients will much prefer a longer incision line than  the bunching up of tissue and contour elevation, which is visible and palpable with and without clothing.  Often, excision of the dog ear, if it's still a concern roughly one year postoperatively can be corrected easily under local anesthesia. I hope this helps.

Richard J. Brown, MD · Answer

This is totally up to your surgeon. I will tell you however, from the wound healing standpoint it takes 6 weeks for all scars to regain their strength. I like patients to refrain from any exercise that will risk splitting the incision for 6 weeks. Being that said I allow many patients to get back to certain cardio in 2-3 weeks.

Jeffrey Gusenoff, MD · Answer

Dog ear revision surgery is usually pretty minor. It depends on how big they are! You should definitely take a few days off from exercise so you don't raise your blood pressure and cause bruising or bleeding. Some surgeons use absorbable sutures and some permanent, which may need to be removed in a week or so. Your revision results shouldn't change much with a few pounds of weight change. Make sure to see a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and good luck!

Joseph Rucker, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

This is a rather simple procedure. It is done usually under a local anesthetic and takes about 30mins.  Your pain level on a scale of 1 -10 should be 1-3 afterwards.  Regular activity in 4 -5 days.  Light exercise 1 week.  Full exercise 3 to 4 weeks.

Dog Ear Revision Recovery Time?

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Answer: Recovery After Dog Ear Revision Surgery

Answer: Recovery After Dog Ear Revision Surgery

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Dog Ear Revision Recovery Time?

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Answer: Recovery After Dog Ear Revision Surgery

Answer: Recovery After Dog Ear Revision Surgery

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