Whenever people are deciding whether or not to get plastic surgery, one of the top reasons some decide against it is the possibility of scars.
Scars, it seems, defeat the entire purpose of getting plastic surgery for some. For these individuals, if a scar is going to prove you’ve had surgery, why bother? They want to look natural all over — with zero sign of cosmetic surgery intervention.
As it turns out, plastic surgeons would like it this way too. If only there were a way to perform tummy tucks and breast lifts without incisions! Then, there would be no scars!
Alas, this technology has not come into existence yet.
Fortunately, though, scarring after plastic surgery procedures like mommy makeovers is almost never as severe as patients think it will be. Overwhelmingly, patients are incredibly happy with their mommy makeover results. And while scars are an unavoidable result of any procedure requiring an incision, there are also many things you and your surgeon can do to minimize their appearance.
Where Will My Mommy Makeover Scars Be?
For the sake of simplicity, let’s say you are planning to undergo a “typical mommy makeover”. This means you’re going to be getting a tummy tuck surgery to get rid of excess skin and fat on your abdomen (and tighten your ab muscles), liposuction to reduce overall fat in your abdomen and other trouble areas, and a breast surgery.
Your breast surgery might be a breast augmentation, which can add fullness and volume to your breasts either with implants or a fat transfer procedure. Or, alternatively, you might consider a breast lift, which is a breast procedure that uses your own breast tissue and simply lifts the breasts and the nipples to give a more youthful figure after surgery. As a side note, you can also get a breast augmentation and breast lift combination surgery if this is something you’re interested in.
Now that we’ve established what a typical mommy makeover is, let’s talk about where your scars would be for each of these procedures:
Tummy Tuck Scars
A tummy tuck scar is noticeable if you are wearing no clothes. However, most tummy tuck scars can be well hidden with underwear or bathing suit bottoms.
The major incision that is made during most tummy tuck surgeries is a lateral one that runs from hip to hip. In some cases, Dr. Schulman will also need to create an incision around the belly button and an additional vertical incision from the belly button down to the lower lateral incision. This latter incision will be the most noticeable for tummy tuck patients.
Liposuction Scars
Liposuction scars are the smallest of the bunch. Basically, your plastic surgeon simply needs to be able to fit a small metal tube into the incisions they make for liposuction, so each incision only needs to be a few millimeters long. These liposuction scars are well hidden and heal very nicely so that they are hardly noticeable after a year or so.
Breast Surgery Scars
Breast surgery scars may be noticeable or not. It really depends on what type of breast surgery you get.
If you decide to get implants, your surgeon will likely be able to make their incision (where the implants will be inserted) around the very edge of your areola. In this case, the incisions are going to heal very well in this area, and breast augmentation scars will be basically invisible. Fat transfer scars are essentially nonexistent because these are simply injection points where fat taken from elsewhere in the body is injected into the breasts.
If you do undergo a breast lift, however, you can expect to have somewhat noticeable scars. Most breast lifts will require an incision around each areola as well as an additional incision in each breast crease, and, notably, an incision that runs from the breast crease up to each areola. This last incision is the most noticeable as it heals. Still, the surgery can achieve amazing results for your figure, and the scar will fade and flatten with time.
How to Minimize Your Mommy Makeover Scars
There are two ways to minimize mommy makeover scars. First, you need to find a surgeon you trust who has a proven track record at creating incisions that heal well so that little to no scarring is visible. You want to feel confident with your plastic surgeon and know that they are going to do their best to hide your scars and make your incisions clean, neat, and discreet.
Next, you need to do your part to minimize the appearance of your scars. This starts with patience and dedication during your recovery.
Do not put any undue tension or pressure on your incision areas. Keep your incision areas clean and dry. Sleep, sit, and move according to your surgeon’s instructions.
Do not exert yourself. Do not lift heavy objects before you are allowed to do so. Sleep, eat a healthy diet, and drink plenty of water. Finally, wear your compression garments.
Dr. Schulman also recommends using silicone scar therapy sheets and/or topical gels after your incisions have initially healed. Silicone has been proven to reduce the appearance of surgical scars over time.
Some patients even opt for a mommy makeover tattoo to further hide scarring. If you do end up with a bad scar mommy makeover surgeons can perform scar revision surgery as well. Where needed, additional laser therapy or cortisone injections may help minimize both standard and plus size mommy makeover scars.
Book a Consultation for Mommy Makeover Surgery
Want to learn more about how to reduce the appearance of mommy makeover scars? First, find out if you’re a good candidate for this surgery by scheduling a consultation appointment with board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Matthew Schulman. We also invite you to take a look at our mommy makeover photos. We look forward to hearing from you and discussing your goals for surgery!
Proudly serving mommy makeover patients in Buffalo, Long Island, Manhattan, Syracuse, Rochester, Albany.
