Tummy Tuck: Prices, Photos, Reviews, Info, Q&A

Quality of tummy tuck scars, why some are better than others

The quality of the scar for a tummy tuck is multifactorial. Scars can be of good quality or poor quality (raised, wide, irregular) depending on your body’s innate ability to form scars, the tension at the time of closure, the technique of the surgical closure, postoperative infection, quality of the skin (thin, innelastic, stretchy) and position of the scar.

One general rule is that with time all scars get better. The photos you see on the internet, can have different quality of the scar depending how far the person is postop. It is difficult to get patients back to the office a year out just for pictures. (George Marosan, MD, Bellevue Plastic Surgeon)

Tummy Tuck Scar Determination

There are multiple factors which determine the scar with a tummy tuck or for any surgery. Surgical skill and technique are certainly important.

However, the most important determinent is the individual patient. I, or any surgeon, can perform identical operations on 10 patients and they will make 10 different quality scars.

There are things which can be done post-op when the scars are less than one had hoped for. (John Whitt, MD (retired), Louisville Plastic Surgeon)

Determinants of the tummy tuck scar

There are many factors that go into the final tummy tuck scar including the nature of your skin, how tight the tummy tuck was done, the skill of the surgeon, the closure technique. I would say that the most important thing all else being equal is what kind of skin you have as most tummy tuck patients have very stretched out poorly elastic skin. (Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)

Why do some scars look so bad in photos?

TIME FOLLOWING SURGERY is the principal determinant of a scar’s appearance. A scar that is red at 6 weeks may be barely visible at one year. A person’s individual healing is next most important. Finally, surgical technique plays a role. (Michael Kreidstein, MD, Toronto Plastic Surgeon)

Scar quality after adbominoplasty

Several factors affect the visibility of the scar after abdominoplasty. These include patient characteristics such as skin color and pigmentation, skin elasticity and nutritional status, and physician factors such as technique, type of sutures and tension placed on the closure. Normal scars mature over time and usually become less noticeable over the first year after surgery. (Olivia Hutchinson, MD, New York Plastic Surgeon)

Quality of closure

The secret to wound closure is that there really is no secret. We do the same thing each time. Healing is variable from patient to patient. The key is minimal tension on the skin layer of the closure. Still, that does not guarantee a scar of good quality. Other factors, such as smoking and sun exposure, may contribute to scars of poorer quality. Sometimes we just don’t understand all of them. (David A. Lickstein, MD, Miami Plastic Surgeon)