Improving The Appearance Of Your Tummy Tuck Scar
Unfortunately, scars are a reality of surgery. If you have had a tummy tuck, then you have a permanent tummy tuck scar across you abdomen from hip to hip. Fortunately, however, there are things you can do to improve the appearance of your tummy tuck scar.
Patience
Remember the saying, "Time heals all wounds?" It has never been truer than it is about tummy tuck scars. Your tummy tuck scar will improve after surgery for up to eight months; some patients report that scar healing continues to occur up to two full years after surgery.
More Surgery
A tummy tuck scar can be recontoured surgically, but the new surgery will leave new scar tissue that could be worse than the original scar. Unless your tummy tuck scar is restricting movement because it is a tight scar near a joint, it is best not to attempt a surgical correction of the scar.
Laser Treatment
Laser surgery and resurfacing is extremely effective in changing the color of a scar. Specifically, the redness of a scar can be reduced with laser treatment. Furthermore, removing the surface layers of the skin by laser treatment can help to flatten a scar. Patients should consult their physician about laser treatment and enter the procedure with eyes wide open, because the resulting scar after laser treatment could be worse than the original tummy tuck scar.
Steroids
Steroid injections can sometimes flatten a tummy tuck scar. Injections will continue at monthly intervals over time until no additional improvement is noted. Side effects are minimal, because the injection is made directly into the scar itself and does not enter the vascular system or the blood stream.
Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy uses liquid nitrogen to burn scars off of tummy tuck patients. Cryotherapy has a 30% success rate.
Dermabrasion Or Liposuction
The kind of dermabrasion necessary to significantly reduce the elevation of a tummy tuck scar may require general anesthetic. Dermabrasion is not helpful where the scar is sunken or pitted. Liposuction may be useful in removing fat around a sunken area, making the scar seem like less of a depression in the body.
Self Help Therapies
There are several therapies that patients can try on their own to reduce the appearance of an unsightly scar .Silicone gel sheets can flatten, fade, and soften red scars. The sheet can be cut to the exact size of the scar, and patients can wear these self-adhesive sheets under clothing. The sheets can also improve the elasticity of the tissue. Research indicates that these improvements in the scars are permanent.
