The speed at which your scars will fade depends on how well you take care of them during this healing phase. You should avoid activities that may irritate your incisions (exercise), keep them clean with antibacterial soap daily, and cover them with bandages if they start to itch or become sore. If you stick to these guidelines, you should be able to see significant progress within eight weeks of surgery.
This depends on a few different factors. In general, it takes between 6 and 12 months for your scars to fade and become mostly invisible. This period is also known as the “healing phase.” The healing phase is when your incisions are most red and noticeable, but once this period is over, what you’ll have left are scars that are thin, pale, and barely visible.
Read on to learn more on How Long Does It Take For Tummy Tuck Scars To Fade, Warning Signs After Tummy Tuck and Tummy Tuck Wound Healing Problems
How Long Does It Take For Tummy Tuck Scars To Fade
According to the Plastic Surgery Statistics Report, more than 123,000 Americans decided to trim and smooth their waistlines with Tummy Tuck Surgery (abdominoplasty) in 2019. Tummy Tucks are consistently one of the most requested plastic surgeries from year to year. Despite its popularity and high patient satisfaction, abdominoplasty does present a drawback for some people in the form of a significant scar.
“A Tummy Tuck has a dual focus. It removes excess skin and fat after weight loss or pregnancy, and corrects abdominal muscle laxity,” explains Dr. Robert Wilke, a board-certified plastic surgeon with Edina Plastic Surgery. “Because quite a bit of skin is typically removed, a long incision is required that will result in a scar after surgery.”
When your plastic surgeon assesses your abdominal area for Tummy Tuck Surgery, he or she is looking at the skin from the bottom of your rib cage to the crease of your groin. Generally, the scar that is left behind after surgery sits very low across the abdomen. This makes it easy to hide beneath the waistline of clothing or a bathing suit.
“How your skin scars after surgery is very dependent upon the skill of your surgeon, your genetics, and how you care for your scar after your procedure,” says Dr. Wilke. “A few weeks after surgery, after your skin has healed, patients can begin to use products at home that help lighten and fade their Tummy Tuck scar. After a few months, you can begin exploring in-office treatments that can make your scar even less noticeable. At Edina Plastic Surgery, we’re lucky that we have our Skin Artisans medical spa right next store to provide many of these treatment options.”
A tummy tuck scar should fade over time. The amount of time it takes for the scar to fade depends on the individual patient’s skin type.
It is important to keep your tummy tuck scars moisturized after surgery, as this can help them heal faster and fade more quickly.
It usually takes about 3 to 6 months for tummy tuck scars to fade. However, the process can take up to a year or more, depending on your skin type and scar color.
After the surgery, your surgeon will place compression garments on you. These garments are tight-fitting elastic clothes that help support your body while it heals after surgery. Your doctor will tell you how long to wear these garments.
You’ll also need to avoid sun exposure and sweating for four weeks following the surgery. This will help prevent infection and keep your incisions clean and dry until they heal completely.
The amount of time it takes for your scars to fade depends on:
Your skin type (freckles or moles)
The technique used by your physician during surgery
The healing process for a tummy tuck is usually four to six weeks, but it can take up to a year before the scar is fully healed. Scars usually fade over time but can continue changing for up to two years after surgery.
Tummy tuck scars tend to become red and raised at first. They may also itch or feel sensitive during this time. This is normal and will pass as your body heals.
As your skin heals, it will become less red and more flat with rounded edges that look like tiny lines. The color of your incision will fade from pink or purple-black to gray-white over time. The texture of your skin will also change from raised to flat with softer edges as it heals.
It takes about six months for the scars from a tummy tuck procedure to mature (turn white) after surgery, but they may continue changing for up to two years after surgery.
Warning Signs After Tummy Tuck
Abdominoplasty is a major, complex surgery performed on patients with an unsightly appearance of the tummy caused by skin sagginess. There are many causes behind the skin folds that can occur on the inferior part of the tummy and cover a part of the pubic area or the entire area. Among the frequent causes are multiple pregnancies, considerable weight loss, and the natural aging process.
When abdominoplasty is performed, the plastic surgeon will make an incision on the suprapubic area that will be used to detach the skin from the muscles. This allows the plastic surgeon access to the abdominal muscles that are strengthened with sutures and brought together on the median line. The skin is then re-draped on the tummy ensuring there is good tension in it and the excess skin is excised before the incisions are then sutured. Aside from the incision on the suprapubic area, the patient might also need an incision around the navel, if the reposition of the belly button was mandatory and also on the flanks if there are skin folds present in the area as well.
After the procedure, the patient is moved to recovery where he will spend no longer than a few hours until the side effects of the general anesthesia dissipate. After this, the patient is helped off the bed and free to leave the medical facility. Upon the return home, the patient is advised to pay attention to the warning signs that could occur. Keep in mind that the first few days after the tummy tuck procedure is the period with an increased risk of developing a complication such as infection.
The signs of an infection are high fever, intense pain in the operated area, pus coming from the incision site, and redness in the area. To avoid an infection, the plastic surgeon will prescribe antibiotics to be taken for five days post-op. However, it is essential to notice the signs as soon as they occur to get medical assistance.
Another worrying sign that can occur after abdominoplasty is excessive bleeding. Excessive bleeding can weaken the body and immune system and prolong the recovery process. It can occur if the patient took anti-inflammatory medication and even some natural supplements which have blood thinning properties before the surgery. Excessive bleeding might also occur if the patient applied too much pressure on the incisions and caused them to rupture. In very rare cases, excessive bleeding might be caused by internal trauma. Make sure to get medical assistance in case this occurs.
It is normal to feel a bit under the weather and even irritable and nauseous after abdominoplasty and until the effects of the general anesthetic completely disappear, but if a general unwell sensation is persistent, make sure to contact the plastic surgeon.
Tummy Tuck Wound Healing Problems
Tummy tucks are big surgeries with relatively long scars and a large raw surface area under the skin that has to heal resulting in occasional wound problems and delayed healing.
Blood Supply
During a tummy tuck procedure, the skin and any fat on the abdomen are elevated off of the underlying muscle fascia so that the muscle can be tightened with sutures and the skin can be repositioned, pulled tight and the excess removed. In this process, about 80% of the blood supply to the skin is removed so that the lower abdominal skin has only around 20% left. This can cause delay in the healing of any wound that develops in that area.
No Nicotine
It is critical that the remaining blood vessels remain intact to prevent any further reduction in blood supply so that a critical level is not reached, which can result in skin loss. Inhaling cigarette smoke or secondary smoke within a month before of after surgery can have devastating effects and is absolutely prohibited as it results in constriction of those remaining blood vessels. This also includes nicotine patches, gum and e-cigarettes for the same period of time.
Old Surgical Scars
Scars from previous abdominal surgeries can sometimes limit the result of a tummy tuck and may preclude some types of abdominoplasty. Lower vertical abdominal scars and scars from cesarean sections or hysterectomies generally do not cause a problem and are usually removed with a tummy tuck. Upper abdominal scars can be an issue. Long vertical midline abdominal scars can’t be removed and may limit the amount of skin that can be removed. Long oblique scars along the lower edge of the rib cage, such as from an open gall bladder removal cuts across those critical blood vessels and may preclude a full tummy tuck or require a modification that will limit the amount of skin that can be removed.
No Excessive Pressure
After most tummy tucks, as abdominal binder is worn to hold the bandage in place, for something to attach the drain(s) to and to place some mild pressure in an effort to prevent fluid building up between the skin and the muscle. It is important that the pressure is only mild so that those residual blood vessels are not compromised. If your binder feels tight, it is OK to loosen it as a little too loose is better that too tight.
Scar Care
If you have any open areas on your incision line, such as from where a drain was removed or a stitch come out, do not cover it with a band-aide or nonabsorbent telfa dressing. It is best to clean the area with soap and water in the shower and twice per day with hydrogen peroxide and cover it with an open gauze dressing that is changed twice per day until it heals.
We advise taping over the closed incisions and leaving the tape on for several days before removing it. It is best to do this for three to four months. If you get irritated from the adhesive, try silicone sheeting which sticks without adhesive. Forget expensive scar gels or vitamin E.