Can The Scars From My Mommy Makeover Surgery Be Improved?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have a scar from a tummy tuck in 2007. I also have scarring under my breasts from a lift and augmentation at the same time. While the mommy makeover boosted my confidence by not having sagging skin it also left me with these horrible scars. While I can cover them up in a bikini when I couldn’t cover up the sagging skin, it still leaves me very shy and not confident when I have no clothes on. It doesn’t seem fair that I spent so much money in 2007 for a mommy makeover to be left with such embarrassing scars. I don’t know if you can help me but I would appreciate your advice. Thanks so much.

A: While the combination of a tummy tuck and breast implants with a lift can remake the female torso altered by pregnancies, there is always the tradeoff of scars. While these breast and abdominal scars are usually quite acceptable, there is always the risk that they may not be so. When the scars are not aesthetically pleasing it is almost always because they are widened or hypertrophic. Improvement in these scars can be achieved by revision consisting of excision and re-closure. The scar outcome is likely to be improved because the tension or tightness on them will be much less now than the original procedure where much more tissue was removed. While the scars can not be removed or significantly repositioned, they can be narrowed such scar revision surgery.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana