Why is my extended TT incision so high & why do I have no waist? (Photos)

The placement of the incision in a tummy tuck depends on several factors, such as the amount of excess skin and fat to be removed and the patient's anatomy. In general, the incision is made low on the abdomen, above the pubic area, so that it can be concealed by underwear or a swimsuit.

However, in some cases, the incision may need to be placed higher on the abdomen, especially if a significant amount of skin needs to be removed or if there are concerns about wound healing. A high incision can result in a longer scar, but it may be necessary to achieve the desired results.

As for the waist, tummy tuck surgery can help to improve the appearance of the waistline by removing excess skin and fat and tightening the abdominal muscles. However, the extent of improvement will depend on the individual's body type and the amount of tissue that can safely be removed during the procedure. It's also important to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regimen to help maintain the results of the surgery over time.

It's best to consult with your plastic surgeon to discuss your specific concerns and to determine if any revisions can be made to your incision placement or if other treatments can help achieve the waistline you desire.

Best of luck !

Dear blackrose63,
I understand your concern. However, without a proper assessment, it would be difficult to determine what went wrong. It is best that you visit your plastic surgeon for further assessment or ask for a second opinion. Only after a thorough examination, you can get proper recommendations and advice.
Daniel Barrett, MDCertified, American Board of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Abdominoplasty scars can be quite complex, ranging from the simple hypertrophic scar to a multiplane inflamed keloid. Pigmentation, discoloration, chronic inflammation, scar visibility can all occur in the short term. We begin each treatment with combination therapy using Yellow broadband BBL, Vbeam, fractional erbium, intralesional IIT, and scar modulation. Start with a combination of Plato's Scar Serum massaged twice daily after one week of epithelialization followed by Luminase/Exfolase. Scar consultation and revision may be recommended.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

For whatever reason your incision is placed in current position, it seems to be higher than what we like to do in our practice. That questions should be addressed to your surgeon. It is my impression, based on your photos, that agressive liposuction of torso (abdomen, flanks, lower back) would create visible waist and significantly improve your overall result. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Your basic build is fairly straight without wide hips or ribs, so you will not have big curves or small waist. Your surgeon probably was wanting to not place your side incisions too low and wind up on your thighs. Please discuss your concerns with your surgeon.

Your results are likely due to the incision being planned too high. There is visible excess fat to your flanks and a step-off from the abdomen to below the scar likely from inadequate liposuction. You could benefit from a tummy tuck scar revision along with liposuction and skin tightening. Please visit with a board-certified plastic surgeon as revision surgery is complex.

The location of an abdominoplasty scar is dependent on a multitude of variables. Some based on the surgeon's preferences, but the vast majority is based on the patients anatomy. Your scar is neither too high, but also not moderately low.
Your sides appear to have fat (a physical exam would answer this question). If so, liposuction of your sides and mons area would certainly improve your results.
Best wishes,
Dr. Taranow

I encourage you to speak with your surgeon about your incision. Was the location discussed during your consultation? The contour you mentioned could be related to residual swelling from surgery. In addition it appears that your surgery addressed the hip area. Even though the waist remains small, by making the hips smaller the perception of the waist may change.

These are questions you need to bring up to your provider. He or she did the surgery so they are responsible for the outcome. If you don’t have a narrow waist to begin with, but a tummy tuck is most likely not going to create one. This is especially true for people who carry a few extra pounds and may have a bit of excess visceral fat. I generally encourage people to have multiple in person consultations before scheduling surgery. During your consultations is the time you should be critical of plastic surgery results, and help pick the best provider. I generally tell people to judge tummy tuck results based on who gets the most natural looking belly button with a very low sat, score that follows anatomic, contours, naturally and evenly on both sides, leaving the torso, looking attractive, a balanced and appropriate from all angles, including from behind.
There’s no correct number of consultations needed to find the best provider. The more consultations you have the higher the chance of finding the best provider. I suggest patient start by having at least five in person consultations before scheduling surgery. During each consultation, ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before, and after pictures of previous patient who had similar body characteristics to your own. Being shown a handful of preselected images, representing the best results of a provider is Korea is insufficient to get a clear understanding of what average results look like in the hands of each provider. And experience provider should have no difficulty showing you that before and after pictures of at least 50 previous patients. Highly experienced surgeons should have hundreds or even thousands of before and after pictures to choose from. It is each patient responsibility to vets plastic surgeons to choose the best provider. Results vary substantially depending on who you choose as your surgeon.
A full tummy tuck is a permanent and irreversible operation. Generally you get one shot and getting it right and revision work tends to not give significant improvements if it wasn’t done ideally the first time around.
Your results are probably very typical, and would be considered average. That means there are lots of people who had results worse than yours and there are plenty of people who got results that are better.
Patients need to also take ownership of their bodies and not expect surgery to fix everything. This is especially true for people who are above their ideal BMI.
In the end, your surgeon is responsible for the outcome of the procedure, and you are responsible for choosing that surgeon. If you want an accurate assessment or discuss potential revision work, then schedule in person second opinion consultations with other providers in your community. For a second opinion, consultations patient should come prepared always bringing with them proper before and after pictures, and ideally a copy of your operative report. These are all available from your surgeons office if you request them.
Overall, I think most people would say that your result is an impressive improvement from where you started.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD