Will tummy tuck pleating go away? Should I have to pay my surgeon to fix this? (Photo)

Thank you for your question.  At almost 6 months things will have generally plateaued and in my experience the pleating or dog ears will not improve much more.  Most surgeons do not charge for revisions aside from straight costs to the facility but policies vary.  I find it useful in at least 10% of my own patients to do a touch up lipo and/or tidy up of the scar after 6 months in order to get them the best result long term.  Everyone heals differently and patients have variations in skin elasticity or stretch marks as well as the degree of swelling after surgery.  I would see your board certified Plastic Surgeon after the 6 month mark and discuss how to get you the result that was desired.  Best Wishes!

I am sorry to hear about
your concerns. In many cases, mild skin pleating can resolve itself with time.
However if the issue is still prevalent at the 6 month mark, a revision will
most likely be necessary. Based on your photos at 22 weeks, it is likely that a
revision procedure will be necessary to correct the dog ears and skin pleating.
I recommend reaching out to your surgeon to discuss these concerns. Best of
luck!

Dear TooyoungtobeoldAlthough minor pleading generally resolves over time, at 6 months, this degree of pleading will likely stay. I would consider scheduling a revision at 9 months or so post op. In most practices, surgeons would not charge for the revision or just charge costs and patient pays for the anesthesia and hospital expense.

Since at 6 months the pleats are still present, you should discuss touch up with your plastic surgeon. Some minor skin issues are common and usually fixed under local in the office.

Thank you for your pictures.  The pleating of your abdominoplasty result must likely will not resolve do to the length of the pleats.  Best wishes

You may want to talk to your surgeon about a revision.  Policies vary a bit for revision surgery but generally the patient pays for the OR and anesthesia and the physician performs the surgery at a greatly reduced cost.  

TooYoungToBeOld777.  I appreciate your concern, however you should wait at least 9-12 months after surgery to allow complete recovery and scar maturation to occur as revision may not be necessary. Try to stay patient and follow up with your plastic surgeon. Good luck.

Hello,Persistent upper abdominal skin laxity is the most common complaint after a full tummy tuck. This is because the vast majority of surgeons still don't employ progressive tension sutures, a means of setting and fixing the skin tension, literally inch by inch from top to bottom. This significantly improves upper abdominal skin tension. I see you have a midline vertical scar, and with a revision the skin of your abdomen will be advanced again, leading to a new vertical scar, with the current one being advanced downward, and possibly out. You should wait a full year before considering moving forward with a revision. Go visit a few surgeons that perform progressive tension sutures and who don't use drains. 

Any pleating of the scar, or dog ears, will normally settle and resolve itself over time. If your PS recommend that you watch and wait, then it is best to listen to his/her recommendations for the time being. If it does not resolve, then a scar revision can be done as a simple office procedure under local anesthesia. Typically, dog ears/scars/pleating can take up to a year to flatten out.

You can certainly have your surgeon revise the area by a simple in office procedure or you can hold off for now, as per your surgeons recommendation.  Most pleating will resolve over time.  The dog ears as well may smooth out as well.For now I would just recommend you follow your surgeons advice as he/she knows your body and the procedure performed best.Hope that helps.