Tummy tuck before after scars

The scarring after a tummy tuck depends entirely on the type of tummy tuck you have done. A partial tummy tuck (which is not right for most women) leaves a scar only on the lower abdomen. A full tummy tuck leaves a scar on the lower abdomen and around the belly button.

The length of the scar along the lower abdomen depends on how much loose skin you have – the scar needs to be as long as the scar needs to be to remove the loose skin and not leave puckering on the ends. (Carmen Kavali, MD, Atlanta Plastic Surgeon)

Scars for a tummy tuck vary but in general will lie just above the pubic hair line and can extend from hip to hip. The length of the scar will be determined by how much extra skin needs to be removed. The more skin that needs to be removed, the longer the scar. There will also be a scar around the belly button if a full tummy tuck is needed.

Abdominoplasty before after scars

In my practice in Plano, I will have my patients wear their usual style of underwear so that I can try and hide the lower scar within normal clothes. Abdominoplasty scars tend to fade over time and heal well. Most patients would not trade their scar to return to their old abdomen. (Naveen Setty, MD, Dallas Plastic Surgeon)

A standard tummy tuck will usually leave a scar from hip to hip under the panty line. There are several different types of tummy tucks and each leave a different looking scar. A mini tummy tuck will leave a small incision on the pubic bone and can be very easily concealed beneath the panty line.

This procedure is ideal for women who have a localized section in the front of their abdomen that is stubborn to tightening with diet and exercise after having children or weight loss.

Tummy tuck surgery before after scars

There is also an extended tummy tuck that exceeds the hips and potentially could wrap all the way around the waist. (Joseph G. Bauer, MD, Alpharetta Plastic Surgeon)

How big is the tummy tuck before after scars?

The scar for a full tummy tuck is placed low, beneath a bathing suit line, and it generally runs from one hip bone to the other. Sometimes it is shorter, sometimes it is longer, and this depends on how much loose skin someone has and therefore how much skin will need to be advanced and trimmed.

Trying to make the scar too short will lead to “dog ears” or bulges on either end, and a patient will invariably come back to have those removed, which extends the scar back out to the length it needed to be in the first place. (Robert M. Grenley, MD, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)

Tummy tuck before after scars image

Tummy tuck scars

For a tummy tuck alone, patients will have a small scar around the belly button, as well as a lower sideways scar that extends from hip to hip. This second scar is curved and looks a bit like a smiley face.

The length of this scar is really determined by the amount of excess abdominal skin: the more skin excess there is, the longer the scar is going to be. Typically the scars for a tummy tuck are well hidden, and are only visible without clothing. (Kelly Gallego, MD, FACS, Yuba City Plastic Surgeon)

Scar location for tummy tuck

Tummy tuck before after scars photo

The location of the scar and the length of the scar will depend on your individual anatomy, ie how lax your skin is and how far out to the side the excess skin goes. For small amounts of skin excess and minimal laxity, a mini tummy tuck can be sufficient where the scar is just above your pubic hair and only goes partially across your lower abdomen.

As the laxity and skin excess increase, the position of the scar will still be low on your abdomen, just above your pubic hair, but the length will be longer to accommodate more skin excess, yet still hidden in a bikini.

All sutures should be placed under the skin and dissolve in about 3-4 weeks. This gives the best scar. (Jeffrey M. Darrow, MD, Boston Plastic Surgeon)

Incisions from a tummy tuck before after scars!

Tummy tuck before after scars photos

The ultimate goal of the tummy tuck incision is to have it located above the pubic line. Typically the incisions will go from hip to hip. Most surgeons want to keep the line hidden around the bikini line. (Miguel Delgado, Jr., MD, San Francisco Plastic Surgeon)

How long is the “scar”

Each person is different. On the average a full tummy tuck scar will extend from hip to hip. The quality of the resulting scar is also individual. The most important aspects of the scar is not the length, but where it is placed. The Bikini Tummy Tuck places the scar in an ideal place to wear a neutral bikini or the fashionable “hip hugger” pants. A natural looking belly button is also an extremely important element of this procedure. (Jose M. Soler-Baillo, MD, Miami Plastic Surgeon)

Tummy tuck operation before after scars

Scars after tummy tuck

Usually, the scar is beneath a bikini bottom, above your mons pubis in the midline extending to each side in the region of your bony prominences known as the anterior superior iliac spines. Some surgeons extend the scar longer to remove more skin, and this may be necessary depending on the distribution of your excess skin.

You should see photos of your surgeon’s previous abdominoplasty scars to understand where to expect yours, and ask him or her if there is any uncertainty. (Steve Laverson, MD, San Diego Plastic Surgeon)

Tummy Tuck Surgery- Size and Location of Scars

Try bending over at your waist in front of a mirror. Grasp the excessive skin in your central abdomen. Follow it outward along your waist line to your hips. Incisions are kept very low in the middle or just above the pubic hair line and extends outward on both sides as far as your skin roll extends. (Ivan Thomas, MD (retired), Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon)

The length of the scar for a tummy tuck depends on the amount of excess skin and fat that needs to be excised. For most women a “full” tummy tuck is required and the incisions span from approximately hip to hip and also around the belly button. The scar would be located low in the pubic area, even below a preexisting c-section scar, and is covered by a majority of bathing suites and underwear. Most plastic surgeons use absorbable suture material to close the incision which allows for the most aesthetically pleasing results. Best wishes, Neil J. Zemmel, MD (Neil J. Zemmel, MD, FACS, Midlothian Plastic Surgeon)