Will the Thickness of Tummy Tuck Scar Tissue Soften and Become Less Ugly?

While scars do keep maturing over time (a year or more), it looks like yours is hypertrophic.  Steroid injections into the scar may improve it - I would followup with your plastic surgeon to talk about this.

Hello! Thank you for the question! It is common for scars to fully mature for up to a year. In the meantime, there are a few things that may help to ameliorate your incision/scar. The most proven (as well as cheapest) modality is simple scar massage. Applying pressure and massaging the well-healed scar has been shown to improve the appearance as it breaks up the scar tissue, hopefully producing the finest scar as possible. Other things that have been shown to add some benefit, albeit controversial, are silicone sheets, hydration, and topical steroids. These can usually be started at approximately 3-4 weeks postop and when incisions healed. In addition, avoidance of direct sunlight to the incision will significantly help the appearance as they tend to discolor with UV light during the healing process. Scars will never disappear, but attempt is made to make the finest scar in a concealed location. Incisions may be revised to lower or conceal better if enough laxity exists. If unsightly scars are still present after approximately a year's time, other things that your surgeon may consider are intralesional steroid injections, laser, or just surgical revision of the scar itself. Hope that this helps! Best wishes!

There is no harm in using scar reduction products, such as silicone sheeting, though the best healing "product" is your body. It works to naturally reduce scarring. Redness and a raised texture are normal during the three to six months following your tummy tuck, but both traits begin to subside during the healing process. Your scars will soften and this can take about a year.For hypertrophic scarring, you can consider nonsurgical treatments.

Thank you for your post. In tummy tuck and other lift/tightening surgeries, tension is the enemy. The scar is healing gradually over 12 weeks or so, and until it is strong, it is the weakest link. As there is a great deal of tension in tummy tucks, body lifts, breast lifts, etc., the scar is at high risk of 'stretching' or widening. Silicone sheeting, although having the ability to make a scar flat, does nothing to prevent stretching of the scar. Creams or steroids or lasers also do not have the ability to prevent stretching of the scar. Those are used if scar is thick or dark, but not to reduce the wideness of the scar, which is the main problem. Massage also does not help keep the scar thin, and can actually worsen the scar in the first 12 weeks because you are actually adding tension to the scar. Massage is for softening a hard or thick scar, but if used early, will hasten the scar widening. Only tension reduction has the ability to keep the scar as thin as possible. You may notice in a lot of tummy tuck scars that the center portion of the scar is the widest with the sides toward the hips being the thinnest. This is because the maximum tension is at the center, and least amount on the sides. Embrace removes a lot of the tension by putting more tension on the skin on either side of the incision and drawing the incision together. It is expensive though at about $100 per week for 12 weeks. When patients do not want to spend the money for embrace, I tape the incision trying to remove as much tension as possible for 12 weeks and recommend no stretching back and to sit most of the time, keeping tension off the scar.Best wishes,Pablo Prichard, MD

The belly button is really the most noticeable scar from an abdominoplasty.  You can cover the lower transverse scar but the belly button is right out there.  It appears that you have a hypertrophic scar which may be due to tension in both areas.  At this point some judicious use of Kenalog and 5- FU may be beneficial.  Otherwise you may need a scar revision in the future in this area. I have my patients place a Mack's silicone ear plug in their umbilicus.  Silicone has been shown to decrease scarring and improve healing.  Silcone gel sheeting is good for the low transverse scar.