Your Questions

Q: I would like to get a tummy tuck, but I scar really bad. Will the scar be just a bad as and noticeable? All the scars I have are big and bold and dark. I am Puerto Rican.

A: The issue of scar appearance after surgery due to hyperpigmentation (darkening of the scar)  is always a potential issue in patients who have intermediate pigmentation. This captures those ethnic groups of Hispanic, Asian, and Middle Eastern descent. African-American patients, even though they have more pigment ironically do not pose the same level of scar hyperpigmentation risk. Not knowing what your other scars look like makes it impossible to compare how a tummy tuck scar may turn out to them. Scars can look ‘bad’ for numerous reasons such as how they were caused and whether they were surgically managed. At least in tummy tuck surgery, the scar that is created is caused by a gentle cutting and closure technique which is the ultimate form of controlled trauma. I had done many Hispanic tummy tucks and have not seen what I would consider a really bad scar. Nor have I heard of patient complaints about the scar. It may re slightly more noticeable than the tummy tuck scar in a Caucasian patient but I would not classify them as ‘bad’.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana