Tummy tuck scar goes up in middle - is there a reason why? (photos)

Dear hdjaime,
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, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Hello @hdjaime, thank you for your question. I suggest you ask that question to the doctor that period the surgery as every specialist has a different surgical technique. For more information and recommendations, it is best to consult with one or several board certified plastic surgeons. Best wishes! Alan Gonzalez MD, FACS.

There are several variations of tummy tuck scar design, mostly dependent on how much skin laxity there is. I generally prefer to keep the scar low, curving gently up at the ends along natural contours. A traditional design curves up in the middle but isn't done much anymore. It looks like you might have had enough skin to put the scar lower in the middle, but only your surgeon knows what the circumstances were.

The skin was made tighter I. The midline compared to off to the side. It often happens but overall I agree your result is quite nice.

The best person to answer this question is your surgeon. This incision shape may be an effort by your surgeon to keep from making a small vertical incision to represent the hole created from around the belly button. Your photos show a great result!

Some surgeons, especially older, were trained to make more a "W" scar for the tuck to avoid excess puckering, and your surgeon probably used a variation of this technique.

Hi! There are two reasons for that. 1. That was the design of the surgery (not very common)2. There is too much tension in the wound. (more common) The middle line is the area with most tension, since the amount of removed skin is maximum at the middle line. So, in the midline, the upper flap (skin) pulls upward with higher tension than the lateral areas. If there is loose skin in the pubic area, it is pulled upward (towards the head) and the wound looks as your case. If there is no loose skin, the wound tends to be wider.
I hope this was clear enough!

You’ll need to ask your provider if you want to know. Sometimes it can be challenging to clear the opening in the skin where the belly button used to be with a low scar. The mons pubis has a semicircular contour naturally so some follow that contour.
M Hagstrom MD

Hi and welcome to our forum!
From your photos, I note the upward migration of the central segment of the tummy tuck scar. The initial incision was most likely designed as a gentle curve, but your skin elasticity has resulted in the upward migration of the healing scar into a position of the least tissue tension.
The early postoperative photo represents a significant improvement in your contour!
Best wishes...