Swelling, bruising, and pain are all to be expected in the days following a belly tuck. These are all common responses to surgery that will fade with time. The area around the incision may feel tight or numb for a while. Like everything else, this will fade with time. Reduced swelling will reveal your new belly button. This, too, will get better with time, though it may be red and swollen for a while.
For at least six weeks after surgery, you likely won’t be able to wear snug garments due to persistent swelling. It may take up to two months for the incision to seem entirely healed, at which point you can return to wearing form-fitting clothes without worrying about any discomfort caused by a too-tight waistline.
Read on to lean more about How Long For Tummy Tuck Scar To Fade, Tummy Tuck Surgery Side Effects and What to Expect During the Mini Tummy Tuck Surgery
How Long For Tummy Tuck Scar To Fade
As one of the most requested plastic surgeries year after year, tummy tuck surgery, also known as abdominoplasty, serves a dual purpose. Firstly, it removes excess skin and fat after weight loss or pregnancy, and secondly, it corrects abdominal muscle laxity. Despite its popularity and high patient satisfaction, abdominoplasty does present a drawback for some people in the form of a significant scar.
Because a large amount of skin and tissue is typically removed with the procedure, a long incision is required, resulting in a scar after surgery.
Our board-certified plastic surgeons at Plastic Surgery Services of Fredericksburg are experts in performing tummy tucks in Virginia and highly skilled at placing the scar so that it is well hidden, even when the patient wears a skimpy bikini or underwear.
With a tummy tuck, you can expect a scar. However, you can take steps to reduce its visibility both before and after your surgery.
Before Your Surgery
During your consultation with your surgeon, you should share any concerns you may have, especially about the appearance of your scar after your surgery. Depending on your surgery, you may end up with a U- or V-shaped scar, and there could also be a small scar around your belly button. You may also have a scar extending vertically from your belly button down to the horizontal incision in rare cases.
Bring underwear or bikini bottoms to your appointment so you can get a clear understanding of where the scar will be placed. During surgery, your surgeon will make a long, thin incision just above the pubic area, typically located where bathing suits or undergarments will hide it.
After Your Surgery
Apart from diligently following all of the aftercare instructions provided by your surgeon, the five tips outlined in this article should also help you to treat and fade your tummy tuck scar.
One of the reasons your incision results in scar tissue is that your body creates collagen fibers to fill the scar and close it, building up at the wound site and protecting and strengthening the affected area.
Over the 3-6 months following your surgery, the blood supply to the area increases, and with the increase in collagen, the new scar becomes darker, thicker, and more prominent. As a result, you can expect your scars to appear darker, more textured, and generally worse before they get better, making it even more important to follow the tips outlined below.
Apply topical vitamin E
When applied topically, Vitamin E (100 percent pure) is known to improve the appearance of scars. Regular application can also help keep the scar moisturized and be applied at least once a day for the first 2-3 months. Continue using this oil to massage the scar tissue once it has healed, stimulating the blood flow.
If you experience any skin irritation or allergic reaction to the vitamin E oil, discontinue use and consult your doctor.
Don’t forget the sunscreen
Even though your scar may be covered by clothing, it’s essential that you use sunscreen to protect the area for at least a year after your surgery. If you can, avoid exposing the scar to the sun. Since scars are made of new skin, they react differently to the sun than normal skin.
Using an SPF 30 or higher sunscreen explicitly made for scars will prevent your scar from becoming darker than the surrounding skin and more visible.
Watch for signs of infection
It’s vital that you clean your incision daily. Keeping your scar clean and healthy reduces its appearance and will also reduce your risk of infection.
What else can you if you still experience scarring?
While your scar will be mostly healed after about 12 weeks, it can take up to a year for it to fully heal, after which you can decide if you want to undergo any of the additional procedures mentioned below to minimize its appearance. These methods won’t altogether remove the scar, but they can help to improve its color and texture and reduce its size.
Steroid applications and injections
On your doctor’s advice, you may be able to use steroid applications or injections to reduce raised, thick, or red scars. Treatment with these techniques may be used for scar prevention from the time of surgery or four weeks following surgery.
Laser treatment
Vascular lasers selectively target unwanted or abnormal blood vessels in the skin and shrink the tiny blood vessels on the surface of the skin of the scar that causes redness. Laser surfacing is another option to improve the texture and color of scars since it can resurface the skin. In the process, scarred skin is replaced with healthy collagen, which improves the overall texture and color.
Your doctor at Plastic Surgery Services of Fredericksburg will advise you how long you should wait before beginning laser treatment, especially since the treatments are expensive and require two or more sessions over the course of a few months.
Surgical scar revision
Scar revision surgery is an option your doctor might use to bring your scar closer in tone and texture to your normal skin by using a combination of topical treatments, minimally invasive procedures, and surgical revision. The scar will still be visible, but it will be less conspicuous.
As with laser treatment, you should check with your doctor to see how long you should wait after your tummy tuck before having scar revision surgery. You may be advised to wait at least a year to first see how your scar is healing.
Tummy Tuck Surgery Side Effects
Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) can help address stretchmarks and sagging of the stomach, making it and ideal procedure for people who have experienced major weight loss following pregnancy or bariatric procedures. Dr. Kimberly Henry has helped countless patients in and around the greater San Francisco area achieve a trimmer and slimmer frame thanks to tummy tuck surgery, and it can really do wonders for you.
Of course, all surgeries cause certain side effects to occur. With that in mind, we’d like to go over some of the basic side effects of tummy tuck surgery so patients can have realistic expectations about what to expect from the treatment process.
About Tummy Tuck Surgery
Tummy tuck surgery typically involves three incisions in an anchor shape around the lower abdominal area:
- One lateral incision below the belly button that spans from hipbone to hipbone
- A circular incision around the belly button
- A vertical incision that connects the previous two incisions
Working through these incisions, a cosmetic surgeon is able to remove excess skin, adjust underlying tissues, tighten the remaining skin, and improve a patient’s overall body contour in the process.
The Effects of General Anesthesia
One of the most common side effects experienced after tummy tuck is related to general anesthesia. When coming out of general anesthetic, patients are likely to experience grogginess, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue. This is all normal, and it’s why patients should avoid driving and operating machinery in the first 24 hours after their tummy tuck.
Soreness and Discomfort After Tummy Tuck
After any kind of surgery, patients are bound to note soreness and discomfort as they recover. This is especially pronounced in the abdominal region where the work was performed. The pain and discomfort is more pronounced in the first days after surgery, though patients should notice improvements in pain and discomfort as they continue to recover.
Bruising After Tummy Tuck
Bruising is not uncommon after surgery given the way that the blood vessels are affected by incisions and adjustments to the abdominal region. In general, the bruising is more noticeable in the first days after surgery, gradually fading over the course of three weeks to a month.
Swelling After Tummy Tuck
Swelling is another common side effect, and also a sign that you are healing properly. Since the accumulation of fluid can be pronounced, it’s not uncommon to have drainage tubes kept around certain incision sites to help filter fluid from the body and minimize swelling. Major swelling typically abates over the course of a month, though minor swelling can persist for a few months.
Preventing Blood Clots After Tummy Tuck
Blood clots are a potential danger after any major surgery. This is particularly true of clots in the leg. In order to prevent the formation of dangerous blood clots, patients are asked to walk a little bit every day as they recovery. This improves circulation and helps prevent blood clot formation in the legs and other parts of the body.
Post-Surgical Scarring and What You Should Know
Scarring after tummy tuck is pronounced, though thankfully it I concealed by many undergarments, tops, and bathing suits. Over time, the scars should fade and become less noticeable, though keep in mind that the nature of scarring does vary from patient to patient.
How to Avoid Complications After Tummy Tuck
To avoid potential complications following a tummy tuck, it’s best for patients to follow all post-op instructions to the letter. This offers optimal conditions for post-surgical healing and proper recovery. We can go over these post-op instructions during the consultation process.
Mini tummy tuck
A mini tummy tuck process removes excess skin and fat in the abdomen region. As a result, a youthful-looking contour is restored in the upper body.
What is a Mini Tummy Tuck?
This operation removes excess fat and skin that has formed in the abdominal area of the body. Removal of loose tissue during the surgery helps to improve the aesthetic appearance of the abdomen. If you have gone through childbirth, experienced a significant decrease in weight loss, or had a negative encounter with previous abdominal surgery, this can be a preferred surgical procedure for patients.
Your Mini Tummy Tuck Consultation
As the mini tummy tuck surgery involves the removal of excess skin, the operation will be tailored to each individual’s needs. For example, when large deposits of stubborn fat are present, the procedure can be combined with liposuction to provide better results. Your desired results can be achieved so long as you remain open and honest about expectations during the consultation.
Questions will also be asked about your health and lifestyle to help cater the surgery to your needs and avoid any potential risks. This will also help to confirm whether or not an alternative form of surgery may be more suitable.
Mini Tummy Tuck Preparation
To prepare you in the best way possible for your mini tummy tuck surgery, we’ll discuss the best preparation methods prior to your procedure. There are a range of precautions that we advise you to follow.
If you smoke excessively, we recommend you to stop approximately six weeks before your mini tummy tuck surgery as this will help to avoid any complications with your recovery.
To ensure the best results, we strongly advise you to lose any excess weight prior to surgery.
It’s also important to avoid taking aspirin, some herbal supplements and any anti-inflammatory medication which we can discuss in more detail during your consultation.
Around six hours before the surgery avoid drinking or eating as a general anaesthetic will be used during the surgery to help numb any pain. It is expected for you to feel some soreness shortly after the surgery as your anaesthetic wears off but we can relieve this through other forms of health supplements if required.
Although each individual recovers differently from the surgery, we still advise that you give yourself at least two weeks off from your job to fully recover.
What to Expect During the Mini Tummy Tuck Surgery
How long your procedure lasts is dependable on how much excess skin requires to be removed. As only a small amount of skin is required to be removed during a mini tummy tuck surgery, we can expect this to take around one and a half hours.
At the beginning of the surgery, we create an incision around the pubic region just below your naval and how much tissue needs to be removed will ultimately determine the length of this.
A benefit of a mini tummy tuck surgery compared with a full tummy tuck or the Fleur De Lis Abdominoplasty is that it leaves a much smaller scar because the others require removing much more skin.
After Care
Due to the position of the surgery on your body, we’ll take you to the ward which gives you the ability to regain movement following the procedure. Once the anaesthesia has worn off you will be able to eat and drink again.
Pain relief will also be provided shortly after the surgery to help numb any pain you feel which will arise from the expected swelling. After the surgery it’s worth following these steps in order to ensure a speedy recovery:
- Arranging for a pick up from the hospital will help to avoid the area from becoming strained whilst you drive.
- Having someone available to care for you whilst you’re at home will prevent the struggle of manoeuvring which you’re likely to feel for about a week or so.
- So we can support you through your recovery, have someone available to help you attend appointments back at the hospital which we’ll schedule after your surgery.
- You can avoid any unnecessary straining in the first week of your recovery.
- A support garment will be provided after the surgery and you should wear this for around 4-6 weeks after the surgery to aid your recovery.
- Light exercise after a week or two, such as walking, can resume.
- You can be encouraged to start normal exercise around three to four weeks after your mini tummy tuck surgery.
- Once your scar has healed, begin to regularly massage it in order to improve it’s long-term appearance.