Surgery involves incisions which always result in permanent scars. Experienced surgeons know all the steps to make the scars as good as possible. This involves planning at every stage of treatment. So yes to scars but they are usually fine lines and well hidden.
You will have an incision with all true surgical procedures. This includes all the different types of tummy tuck surgeries. However, depending on your chosen surgeon, the tummy tuck incision should be placed such that it can be hidden in a bikini or/and undergarment. Look at the before and after gallery of your surgeon critically.
The incision from a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) is a worthwhile trade off for the flat and firm tummy that you get with the operation. The location of the scar will depend mostly on the technique your surgeon uses to design the incision. In my practice I have my patients bring the bikini or the panties they would like to wear in order to design the scar to end up along that line and hidden. With experience and good planning the scar can be very discrete.
There are two components to the scarring that result from Tummy Tuck surgery. Tummy tuck incision most commonly associated with this operation runs lengthwise from right to left hip on level with the top of the pubic hair. However, there is also a scar that forms around the navel. This latter one is often overlooked because it usually heals so well that it goes unrecognized. But there is truly no predicting how noticeable either scar will become in a given individual.
The rather long horizontal scar can almost always be hidden in a two piece bathing suit but is more difficult to cover in a skimpy bikini. Fortunately, the periumbilical (navel) tummy tuck incision is usually invisible but on rare occasions it becomes raised and noticeable. In general, exchanging a rumpled tummy or an apron of abdominal skin for these aforementioned scars is a significant improvement.
If you choose your surgeon carefully, and he/she is aware of your goal for placement of the scar, you should have no problem hiding the scar in a reasonable two piece bathing suit.
When I know this is important to my patients, I will have them bring a bathing suit bottom to my surgery center on the day of surgery so that it may be used during the placement of the markings. This further ensures that the scar will end up where they wanted it.
Please also read the following, which will help you understand the procedure from a patient’s perspective. It also shows a photo of her in a small pair of underwear, similar to a bikini bathing suit.
Tummy tuck incision can be well hidden in many underwear lines. However, remember that underwear styles do change. Obviously if you wear a g-string or “dental floss” types of underwear it would be extremely difficult.
Placement of the incision in a hidden location is important and necessary for achieving a great result after tummy tuck. Many of us mark the patient prior to surgery while having her wear a desired bathing suit bottom. Because there is upward stretch on the abdominal wall tissue postoperatively, the marking are drawn even lower to compensate for this.
By doing this, the incisions are usually well-hidden in a bikini after surgery. If, for some reason, the markings end up migrating more than expected, or are thick and raised, a scar revision can usually be performed after several months to optimize the appearance.
I am very careful to design the tummy incision so it ends up low enough that it would be covered by your underwear or bikini.
I also design the belly button incision so it is hidden within the belly button itself so the tell-tale signs of having had surgery are minimized. Often, the surgery makes the belly button more attractive than it was peroperatively.
The incision for a tummy tuck should ideally be placed below your bikini line. Not every bikini is created equal and not every patient is the same. The initial markings for an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) should place low, however there can be some upward migration of the scar when it is closed. One thing you can do is ask your plastic surgeon to mark you before hand and/or bring your bikini in for your pre-operative visit to see where the lower mark lines up.
The incision for tummy tuck is made from hip to hip. It is positioned at the pubic line, and is well concealed under bathing suits and under garments. Each patient heals differently, so it is hard to say exactly how an individual will scar from this procedure. Lighter skinned patients tend to have a redish look to their scarring, while darker skinned patients see what’s more of a brownish color.
These scars do fade and flatten over time. An incision at the pubic bone that extends laterally accompanies all abdominoplasties. The final length is a function of the amount of skin removed. The more skin, the longer the incision.
More important than the length of the scar is its quality. If the skin is carefully sutured and cared for after surgery, most times the scar will end up as a fine white line, not invisible, but very acceptable.
This, however, takes time. The remodeling process may take months to even years. But when complete, most patients have excellent results.
If you are a candidate for the Abdominoplasty, The scar is designed well below the Bikini line. Provided you have adequate skin laxity to remove all the excess skin from the belly button down to the lower incision below the bikini line.
Through this incision the muscles are tightened and liposuction of the upper abdomen is also performed to optimize the results. Also the Pubis is lifted as this area also droops with age and pregnancy and delivery.
You will have Scars after a Tummy Tuck but they should be well concealed with underwear or a bathing suit. As the scars mature they will lighten and not as noticeable.
If a tummy tuck is performed by a well-trained plastic surgeon, the scars will be hidden with a bikini, assuming you are wearing a standard bikini.
If you routinely wear an unusual style of bikini, then you may want to discuss it with your surgeon.
Today, the location of the scars is hidden by most style of pants and swimwear.