Tummy Tuck is a popular procedure whose purpose is to remove excess saggy skin and fat from the lower abdominal region and restructure the abdominal wall muscles. It is trendy with women who have just finished going through pregnancy and are looking to restore their abdomen, particularly if they experience a medical condition called diastasis recti, when the abdominal muscles separate, usually after pregnancy. The separation of these muscles is what often leads many women to develop bulging, sagging bellies.
The Tummy Tuck is, in general, an extensive procedure. Because it involves the excision of skin and fat and later the suturing of the skin, it is inevitable for the tummy tuck to leave a scar. The scar will fade over time, especially if the surgeon is experienced in performing the incision, but it's not likely to disappear. At Avana Plastic Surgery, your surgeon will work with you to find the optimal place for the incision. These often go beneath your bikini bottoms so that when you sport your new body to the beach, the scar will be invisible.
Factors that Influence Scarring
Skin Type
Skin type is essential in determining the likelihood of scarring. People with darker skin have more melanin—the pigment that gives skin its color—on the surface of their skin than lighter individuals. When a scar forms, the amount of melanin involved is greater and can lead to more distinctive scars than in people with lighter pigmentation.
Surgical Technique
Overall, there are three main tummy tuck procedures: regular, mini, and extended. Other variations include the circumferential and fleur-de-lis, which are more extensive than the regular tummy tuck.
The regular tummy tuck involves making an incision from hip to hip and a smaller one around the belly button. The mini requires a far smaller incision on the waist, akin to that of a cesarean section. And the more extensive procedures may incorporate longer or extra incisions. Depending on your recommended procedure, the level of scarring will differ. More extensive tummy tucks will undoubtedly produce larger scars, though, as mentioned above. You should expect your surgeons at Avana to masterfully disguise them and leave them to your specifications.
Aftercare Discipline
Having disciplined aftercare habits like a proper diet, rest, and avoiding alcohol and smoking can visibly enhance your body's recovery and leave you with far more discreet scars. Taking substances like alcohol and nicotine, as has been pointed out by the scientific and nutritional community, has deleterious effects on blood circulation, which is of maximal importance for the recovery of tissues in the body. Your surgeon is also likely to prescribe scarring cream and perhaps recommend laser therapy to remodel the scar and shape its trajectory.
Post-Op Complications
Following your tummy tuck, your surgeons will instruct you to wear a special compression garment that will ensure the success of the final results of your procedure and help you heal faster and avoid complications. As far as scarring is concerned, the compression garment, in conjunction with a proper low-sodium diet and very light exercise, particularly after the first month, will maximize recovery and avoid inflammation and infection. Contingencies such as these can impair the speed of your recovery and exacerbate bad scarring.
Reducing Scar Visibility
Your Avana surgeon will work with you to determine the best way to leave the scar. This decision will, of course, be impacted by the extent of the incision in your abdominal area and how much excess skin you have that will allow your surgeon to leave the scar as far down the waist as possible. Therefore, the surgeon's surgical skill is invaluable, and you will want to find a surgeon with experience in tummy tucks. A good surgeon will provide you with expert advice and expectations, so check Before and After images, reviews, and comments. Our surgeons are board-certified experts in these procedures, so you're already off to a great start.
As mentioned above, the success of your procedure will depend on having good habits, which will reduce the chance of complications like inflammation, infection, and, therefore, bad scarring. Good habits will go a long way toward your results, so it's in your best interests to have good discipline while you heal.
Last, various methods to treat and remodel scarring include steroids and laser therapies. It is not unlikely that your surgeon will recommend the second of the two after your healing, as the results can be quite remarkable and lead to a far less noticeable scar.
Get in touch with your Avana surgeon if you have further questions about scarring.
