What are the most legit scar care options for a tummy tuck scar?

Embrace Scar therapy is clinically proven to decrease the tension on the scar and improve it's appearance. There is no other treatment that works better for a tummy tuck scar. It can cost several hundred dollars, but if you use it for the recommended two-three months, then you will have done all you can do to improve your scar.The reason you will not find a lot of patient reviews on this product is because it's relatively new. Most plastic surgeons don't even know about it or use it yet.Best wishes,Dr.Bruno

There are many factors that influence the final scar from a procedure. The most important factor that we can’t control is our DNA. However, tension is also a factor that can worsen scars. You might want to consider Embrace Active Scar Defense. Relieving the tension on the incision can decrease or prevent scar formation before it starts. You should consult with your board-certified plastic surgeon regarding this product. Unlike passive products that just sit on top of the scar and don’t have any clinical studies, Embrace is an active scar product with real clinical studies to back it up. Good luck on your scar therapy research!

Outside of moisturizers the best management of a scar after surgery is to leave it alone. Scar creams don't work And massage should be avoided.

While your body does a great job healing scars on its own, you can also help by keeping the scars out of the sun. Also, we usually recommend silicone sheeting and dermatix silicone gel. These two products have helped our patients improve the appearance of their scar nicely. The key is to use these products only after the wound has closed, and to apply them to clean skin. Best of luck!

Embrace Advanced Scar Therapy is given to all of my tummy tuck patients as part of the surgery price. I do this because it works!  Embrace has been extensively studied in clinical trials which conclusively demostrated its superiority to other scar treatments in aesthetic surgeries.  In my practice, we tried to use it for all procedures, but found it was not well tolerated in most breast surgeries.  However, the results in tummy tucks, body lifts, arm lifts and thigh lifts are amazing.Embrace pads are silicone gel pads that are loaded under tension.  Think of it as silicone sheeting on steroids.  The added benefit of the tension in the pad, takes tension off the scar, thus making the scar heal better.  Silicone gel has long been shown to be effective in scar management and minimization.  The Embrace pads take that one step further by relieving tension off the scar.  This is proven by all of the happy patients that myself and other early adopters of Embrace have seen over the past few years since its release.… SHOW MORE

I recommend Embrace Advanced Scar Therapy to almost all of my tummy tuck patients. The difference between Embrace and other methods of scar improvement is simply that Embrace really works! While Embrace is one of the newer scar management treatments, there is no shortage of clinical data supporting its superior ability to maximize the results of cosmetic surgery procedures. The extensive research conducted at Stanford University was what initially attracted me to Embrace and led me to offer this treatment to my patients. At my practice in Houston, I have been using the device for tummy tucks, breast surgeries, body lift procedures, arm lifts, scar revisions, and facial lacerations—all with incredible results that mirror those reported in the clinical studies. There is an additional cost associated with Embrace, but my patients consistently report that the results are well worth it. In addition to the aesthetic benefits achieved with Embrace, many patients report that the device has the added benefit of an increased feeling of security around their incision sites during their initial healing stage. So I can say with authority that, although the information and answers on this site are helpful, there is no replacement for meeting in person with a reputable board-certified plastic surgeon who has expertise in abdominoplasty surgery and scar minimization.

Use whatever your doctor recommends. A topical silicone get agent is what we have available for patients.  There are many good brands available. Your doctor will have available whatever he or she think is best. When the time is right, usually a few weeks after surgery  the V-Beam laser can also be used to minimize scarring. Most importantly, follow your doctors instructions carefully.  Eventually, your scar will likely be a very fine white line that can be covered with a swimsuit 

Thank you for your question. Scar therapies and wound healing are a heavily studied topics. There are definitely a lot of different scar therapies out there and there has not been one that has been shown in a well devised trial to be vastly superior.  Sunscreen, silicone sheeting, and scar therapies such as biocorneum, embrace, mederma are all helpful to improve the appearance of the scar. I always tell my patients that 90% of the scar's appearance is due to genetic factors and the other 10% is the result of what we do in surgery. I hope that helps.Good luck.

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 also do not have the ability to prevent stretching of the scar.  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

No scar therapy is perfect for everyone but here's a couple of pointers to help, 1. the placement and meticulous repair of the incision at the time of surgery is critical to an inconspicuous scar2. Use of Prineo skin closure system is very helpful. This is an Ethicon product consisting of an adhesive tape applied to the closed incision at the time of surgery. It's glued in place with a type of suprtglue similar to Dermabond. I've found it to be very helpful for largerincisions like abdominoplasty. It's a little costly but well worth the price. 3. After the Prineo tape falls off in about 3 weeks I recommend Biocorneum or Kelocot, both are silicone products you can purchase online. Or just use any silicone cream or pad, no huge differences. 4. Embrace is an excellent product for postop, it is a little expensive but also does work f you apply it early in healing period.5. Once a scar is mature after a few months most of these treatments are not effective. Ther you have it, I hope that helps a bit.