5 Ways to Fade and Treat Your Tummy Tuck Scar
A tummy tuck is among the most requested forms of plastic surgery in the US. This procedure has a dual focus: Removing the excess skin and fat after childbirth and correcting abdominal muscle laxity. A significant amount of skin is removed, resulting in a post-surgery scar. If you have lighter skin, it may turn pink before fading into a thin white line, while a darker skin may lose pigments during healing and later lighten over time. The specialists at A Beautiful You Medical Spa, under the leadership of Kenneth Thompson MD, employ various techniques to minimize the appearance of scars after an abdominoplasty procedure.
Here are the most popular treatment options for minimizing the appearance of tummy tuck scar.
1. Permanent Cosmetics or Tattoo
This is an ingenious way of covering your scar. However, you have to wait until your scar is fully healed, which can take up to a year. The permanent cosmetics industry has lately witnessed a surge in the use of disguise surgical scarring options. Your provider will use a flesh-colored ink that has a close resemblance to the surrounding skin to fill in your scar. Your provider advises you to avoid tanning the skin next to your scar since it will not achieve a uniform tan with the surrounding skin.
- Taping
Your doctor can use dissolvable suture under the skin to close abdominoplasty incisions. The steri-strips help minimize tension and protect the incision. The tape exerts light pressure against the incision, which also helps minimize scarring. You will use the tape on the incision for close to 6 weeks, with a change every 5-7 days.
3. Laser and Light-Based Treatments
Your tummy tuck scar will most likely remain the way it appears a year after surgery without further treatment. This necessitates considering treatment options to help fade off residual redness and pigments. Laser resurfacing options such as Profractional and HALO lasers help smoothen scars to make them less noticeable. Light-based treatments such as Broadband Light (BBL) are used to treat dark skin. You will require multiple treatment sessions to realize full results. Your treatment plan may include a series of BBL combined with Profractional laser resurfacing treatments after 4-6 weeks.
- Scar Fading Creams and Topicals
There are various scar creams in the market, which can help minimize a tummy tuck scar’s appearance. You can also use a moisturizing cream that contains vitamin E. Be on the lookout for scar creams that contain silicone, hydroquinone, and other skin lightening components, which suppresses cell activity. Your provider recommends the use of creams 6 weeks after surgery.
5. Microneedling Collagen Induction Therapy
Your provider can also use microneedling devices including SkinPen® to create multiple small-sized injuries on your skin. The abrasion helps stimulate collagen and elastin production for firmer and smoother skin. This treatment option is useful for scars that have not healed evenly. A series of treatments will help your scar achieve an even appearance to that of the surrounding skin.
Do not allow a tummy tuck scar to ruin your chance of flaunting your flat belly. Visit your experienced doctor to learn how the scar can be made to disappear.
