Dog ear tummy tuck
Dog Ears are redundant skin at the ends of a tummy tuck incision. They may be larger or small. It occurs because of a geometry issue.
The way to guarantee that they do not occur is to make the incison long but this may result in an incision that is longer than it has to be.
In my practice, I try to keep the incision short, knowing that small dog ear may occur. These are usually small and can easily be corrected in the office with a small procedure that takes only a few minutes.
I am not sure about other people’s policy, but I do not charge the patient to revise these. This method has worked well with my patients and allows me to keep my tummy tuck incisions short. (Matthew Schulman, MD, New York Plastic Surgeon)
Dog Ear After Tummy Tuck
Dog ear tummy tuck picture
There is no reason why anyone should have dog ear after a tummy tuck. However, you need to let the surgeon make an appropriate incision for your anatomy. Some patients demand a certain length incision (usually too short than is needed for a nice results and they could end up with dog ear. When you make your bed, you need to pull the sheets up all the way across the bed. If you only pull from the middle then the edges will bunch up. This is the same thing that happens when people try to get away with too short of an incision. (David Shafer, MD, New York Plastic Surgeon)
Incision after tummy tuck
Dog ear tummy tuck image
In general, thinner patients with less hanging, loose skin are less likely to have significant dog ears after the procedure, and it sounds like you may fall into this category.
However, if for some reason after the procedure you end up with excess skin or a poor scar on the lateral edges of your incision, in most cases this can be revised by your surgeon with local anesthetic in his office, so it should not be costly and may even be very inexpensive.
Speak with your surgeon about his thoughts on your specific anatomy so that you can be well-informed going into the procedure. (Shahram Salemy, MD, FACS, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)
Dog ear in tummy tucks can be avoided.
Dog ear tummy tuck photo
The reason dog ear occur is because the incision is too short. The more you push to keep the incision short the more likely you will have redundant skin at the end of the incisions. Liposcution is not required to eliminate dog ears you just have to remove enough skin. (Marcus L. Peterson, MD, Saint George Plastic Surgeon)
Dog Ears in Tummy Tuck Can be Avoided or Minimized
Dog ears are less likely in your situation (normal body weight) than in someone who is a good bit heavier. There are ways that an experienced plastic surgeon can minimize or avoid dog ears. If they do result from a tummy tuck, it is fairly simple to correct later. (John Whitt, MD, Louisville Plastic Surgeon)
Predict if Someone Will Have Dog Ears Before a TT
It is the responsibility of the plastic surgeon to extend the incision far enough laterally to avoid the “dog ear” deformity. If after the surgery you have one the revision in most cases can be done under local anesthesia only. Please understand the patient do not want the extended scar but to avoid a dog ear this extension is necessary. (Darryl J. Blinski, MD, Miami Plastic Surgeon)
