How bad is the scarring after a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty?
There is a trade off in abdominoplasties. Patients must accept a long scar in place of hanging folds of skin and fat. For patients who choose tummy tucks, they believe the trade off is worth the new body contour they will have. Except for mini and endoscopic abdominoplasties, there is always a long, low scar from hipbone to hipbone, passing along the top of the pubic area, just above the hairline and normally a scar around the navel. Sometimes there is also a short vertical scar above the pubic area. The scars will fade and flatten with time, but they will always be there. A mini–tummy tuck will normally not have the scar around the navel and an endoscopic tummy tuck will have the least scarring of all—but it is only effective in tightening up the muscles and there is no removal of loose, hanging skin. Within a few weeks of surgery, the scars begin to appear dark and thick. After a few months, the scars begin to mature. As they do, they flatten and fade in color. If you smoke or have s
