After A Toronto Tummy Tuck, What Is The Best Time To Begin Scar Treatment?

By Jerome Edelstein, MD

After significant weight loss or pregnancy, you may notice that there is a pouch of excess skin that hangs from your abdomen. This unflattering appearance can fortunately be corrected with a Toronto tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, a form of plastic surgery that targets loose skin and weakened muscles of the abdominal area.

As a surgery, a tummy tuck will lead to the formation of a scar afterwards because of the surgical incision; however, the goal of this procedure is to create an aesthetically pleasing abdomen, so your plastic surgeon will aim to place the incision site in a spot that can easily be hidden. With your care and treatment after surgery as well, the appearance of your scar can be minimized.A Toronto tummy tuck can either be the standard, traditional surgery or a partial, mini-tummy tuck depending on your needs and current body. If you are undergoing a full, traditional tummy tuck then your scar will likely span the entire length of your abdomen. If you are opting for a mini-tummy tuck, you will likely have a smaller incision made and thus, a smaller scar. Regardless of the scar size, you must remember to be patient and allow your body to heal well in order to reduce the appearance of your scar.Aside from letting your body do what it does best naturally, there are certain care and treatment steps that you can take to help make your scar less obvious and visible during recovery. For the first couple of days, you will be instructed by your plastic surgeon to clean the incision site well in order to prevent possible infections. Additionally, you will receive guidelines for lowering the tension in your abdominal area. This will allow your incision wound to heal well and appear thin because high tension is a big contributor to a wide scar. Maintaining low tension in this area will also prevent your scar from rising and widening, especially in the center of the wound.Once the incision is healed, the steri-strips applied by your plastic surgeon will begin to peel off. This is a sign that you can begin applying various skin treatments to help the scar fade. A commonly used and recommended scar treatment is silicone cream, which helps with scar maturation. Another popular treatment for scars is silicone sheeting, which helps flatten scars and prevent it from rising.As you are going through your recovery, you may notice some redness or texture at your incision site, but this is not a problem – in fact, it is a part of the normal healing process. After six months to a year, this redness and texture should subside and if you have taken diligent care of your incision, the scar will be thin and minimal.A big question that is left unanswered is “When should you begin the treatment for your Toronto tummy tuck scar?”. Honestly, experts have not seen a major difference in the final scar appearance between starting treatment a couple of days after surgery or a few weeks post-op. However, if you have any concerns or questions, it is important to ask your plastic surgeon and to follow their instructions for recovery.