Uneven abdomen - does my incision need to be redone? (Photo)

Plastic surgery scars require attention after surgery so that they remain cosmetically-appealing and barely noticeable. In our office, we use a protocol for scars that minimizes their activity in the 6-8 weeks after surgery. If you have late plastic surgery scars, you may also require laser and RF therapy to help reduce the longterm effects of the scarring. Keloids, hypertrophic scars, widened scars, red scars, and hyperpigmented scars all require scar modulation with topical creams followed by lasers and RF therapy. Topical skincare should be directed to a specific need, whether for pigmentation or hypertrophy and our office can guide you through the process to obtain the correct Plato’s Scar cream or Melarase cream for hypertrophy and discoloration. In terms of lasers, we would employ the vbeam laser for redness, Venus Viva RF, PRP microneedling, chemical peels, and Morpheus 8, fractional erbium, or fractional co2. All of these have their individual benefits. Most of all, we recommend you visit a solid plastic surgeon who understands surgical scar revision, laser therapy, and RF therapy for scars.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Dear Jess9914,

I understand your concern. However, without a proper assessment, it would be difficult to determine what is 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

Your photograph is not good enough to be able to give you much of an opinion. It seems like you should see your plastic surgeon and determine what the possibilities are for improving this.

It appears you have some excess skin and fat at the ends of your incisions. They are sometimes referred to as "dog ears". These can be improved with a minor revision that can often be accomplished in the the surgical suite under local anesthesia. See your surgeon to learn more.

Thank you for your question and photo.At this stage of healing (around 2 months post-op), some unevenness or swelling is still common and may continue to improve over the next few months.
From your photo, it looks like residual fullness may be due to localized fat or swelling rather than a poorly positioned incision. In many cases, touch-up liposuction alone can help refine the contour without requiring revision of the incision.
However, if there’s significant asymmetry in scar placement or skin tension, a minor scar revision may also be considered later. A follow-up in-person assessment around the 6-month mark is usually the best time to make final decisions.

Liposuction may be sufficient, but if you have skin access on the side of the incision, then extending the excision further and taking out more skin may be helpful as well.
As skin tightening comes to an end at the corners of the incision. There can be a skin redundancy sometimes referred to as a “dog ear”.
The only area where removing more skin would be beneficial is on the left side.
An in person assessment is needed to get a proper evaluation.
Liposuction removes excess subcutaneous fat and doesn’t treat skin excess.
If the problem is skin related, then you need skin surgery.
If the problem is fat related, then you need liposuction.
Understanding the problem dictates the correct solution.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom MD