Will Tummy Tuck Get Rid of Old Horizontal Scar?

Question

Is it possible to get rid of the old scar during Tummy tuck? it runs 5' to 6' horizontally 1/2' to1' above my bellybutton. I have since had 2 baby girls both by c-section.

	My question is: would it be possible to only have one scar with a tummy tuck to get rid of the old surgery scar and the loose pregnancy skin & stretchmarks and to tighten the tummy muscles backup.

	I've always been into fitness and it's frustrating that no matter how much I do now my tummy always looks out of place with my body. I'm not too worried about the placement of the scar or being able to hide it, as I have always had one. I'm more concerned with the pregnancy muscles, skin and stretchmarks.Thank You!

Emmanuel Mallol Cotes, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. Based on your photos you appear to have abdomen sagging skin excess, several stretch marks and unaesthetic scar makes you a full tummy tuck candidate.  I would suggest to be treated by board certified plastic surgeon with experience in this procedure, to get the best desired results.
Respectfully,Dr. Emmanuel Mallol Cotes.-

Jeffrey E. Schreiber, MD, FACS · Answer

It appears as though you will most likely be able to get rid of your scar with your tummy tuck.  I have had a lot of good experience removing old c-section scars with a tummy tuck.

John LoMonaco, MD, FACS · Answer

Scars at or below the belly button may be removed by tummy tuck, but in my opinion your scar is too high for this, and a higher tummy tuck scar would be equally unsightly.
A tummy tuck with a bikini-line incision may help hide and flatten this scar somewhat due to the skin roll above it..

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

The new tummy tuck scar will be lower and should be designed to incorporate and hide a small bikini. However, with the degree of scarring, you should view typical abdominoplasty scars and see if they are acceptable to you prior to having the surgery done.

Rafael C. Cabrera, MD · Answer

based on your pic I would guess no way, unless you want your scar to be 4 inches wide or at the level of your belly button. tread lightly here. good luck

Steven Schuster, MD, FACS · Answer

Unfortunately, there is no way to use one scar and get rid of the upper abdominal scar and do a classical tummy tuck.  This scar appears to be an old gall bladder scar or a scar from some type of abdominal surgery.  There is a procedure called a reverse abdominoplasty, but this will leave you with different scars that run under the breast.
The old C-section scar will be removed and a new longer scar created as part of the tummy tuck as well as a scar around the umbilicus.
What you may be able to do is discuss with your plastic surgeon the possibility of a surgical release of the scar without cutting it out (like using a device called a surgiwire) and then using some of the tissue from the abdominoplasty to fill up the depression from inside the sugery wound.
Wish I had a way to remove both and get you the result.  Good Luck.

John P. Stratis, MD · Answer

In order to remove the scar you have it would need to be used an part of the incision. So if you start with that scar as your incision and carry that across the belly from left to right and also extend it to the right a bit, you will have an idea of the size of the scar from right to left.
Next pull down the skin as much as possible, grabbing the central skin and fat about the level of the belly button. That is how far down you can pull that new incision. It will prbably end up about and inch or two below the belly button. That is where your new scar will be.
If you are accepting of that location then it would be a good fit for you. Otherwise a traditional lower abdominal incision can be used but you won't get as good a contour result as you would if you incorporated the old scar.

Bahram Ghaderi, MD · Answer

A tummy tuck will only remove your lower abdominal scars - anything basically below the belly button. Anything above the belly button is typically only lowered and not removed. Your scar in the upper abdomen appears so high in your photo that it is unlikely to be removed with an abdominoplasty. The best way to tell is with an examination during a consultation. I would suggest finding a board certified plastic surgeon in your area and setting up an appointment.

Peter A. Aldea, MD · Answer

VERY tough call. Please let me explain.
The upper scar is NOT typical for a C-section scar. I am not sure for the rationale of placing a C-section so high and far from the uterus and pelvis. Such scars were more commonly used for operation on the liver and diaphragm.
The problem with such high upper quadrants scars and tummy tucks is two fold. Blood supply and potential inability to remove the lower stretch mark covered tummy skin as well as the high transverse scar.
the moment a lower transverse scar is placed in a standard tummy tuck, the skin span between the upper scar and the NEW tummy tuck scar will not receive enough blood flow and may die.
The only way to get around this is to be able to remove the scar and skin adjacent to it. There are 2 ways of doing it and both are NOT commonly used but are pretty straight forward:
1. Place the low transverse tummy tuck real high, several inches above the natural trunk crease. This means the scar will be visible and stretch marks below it will be left behind but the old C-section scar will be removed and muscles repaired.
2. Do a REVERSE ABDOMINOPLASTY, where the tummy tuck scar is placed under the breasts and midline and all tissue redundancy above the belly button is removed. While this scar is relatively hidden by the breasts and is visible only in the space between them, it will remove the C section scar BUT not remove as much of the stretch marks on the lower tummy.
Make sure when you see a board certified plastic surgeon you present him/her with the doctor's operative note from the C-section surgery. This will answer a whole bunch of questions.
I hope this was helpful.

Timothy Wilson, MD · Answer

A tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) would get rid of your old c-section scars. You will however, have a new scar that is longer than your c-section scars and will also have a scar around your umbilicus. A tummy tuck would get rid of the loose skin both above and below the umbilicus. It would also get rid of most of your stretch marks below your umbilicus and allow tightening of your abdominal muscles. I would recommend that you consult with a board certified plastic surgeon.

Will Tummy Tuck Get Rid of Old Horizontal Scar?

Answers (13)

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