Tummy Tuck Scar: Where It Goes, How It Heals, How to Care for It

A tummy tuck leaves a permanent scar running across the lower belly, usually between the pubic hairline and the belly button, plus a scar around the belly button after a full tummy tuck (NHS). At first it is often raised and red or darker than your skin. The NHS says it should fade over 12 to 18 months. It will soften and flatten, but it will not disappear.

Where the scar goes

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) describes a horizontal incision between the pubic hairline and the belly button. Its shape and length depend on how much loose skin there is. The NHS describes it as running from hip to hip, just above the pubic area, in a full tummy tuck.

Sources: NHS, ASPS, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 2024.

If you have had a C-section, ASPS says the existing scar may be included in the new one (ASPS). Expect the new scar to be longer. BAPRAS describes even the simpler apronectomy, which removes only a lower apron of skin, as leaving a scar similar to a C-section scar but longer at each end (BAPRAS).

Before surgery, ask your surgeon to mark where the scar will sit while you stand, and to show you how it lines up with your usual underwear or swimwear. Placement is decided before surgery, so this is the moment to raise it.

How the scar changes over time

Sources: NHS, ASPS, BAPRAS. ASPS says the scar may take several months to a year to fade "as much as it will." The NHS gives 12 to 18 months. Everyone heals differently.

BAPRAS describes new body-contouring scars as red, raised and lumpy at first, softening, flattening and becoming paler over many months. The skin around and above the scar often feels different too. The NHS says numbness in the tummy can last for months to years, and a temporary, fluid-filled swelling above the scar is common. For the overall recovery, including drains, the garment and getting back to work, see our tummy tuck recovery timeline.

What can go wrong with the scar

The NHS lists these scar-related problems after a tummy tuck:

• Thick, obvious scars (hypertrophic scars, or keloids, which grow beyond the cut)
• "Dog ears": small bumps of extra skin at the ends of the scar
• Wounds that fail to heal or open up

BAPRAS adds that dog ears often settle with time but sometimes need a small procedure, usually under local anesthesia. It also notes that the belly button's blood supply can be affected, so part or all of it may be lost and replaced by scar (BAPRAS).

The type of tummy tuck matters. A U.S. insurance database of 55,596 tummy tucks found a 2.1% major complication rate overall. The fleur-de-lis type, which adds a vertical scar, had the highest complication rate of the seven types studied (Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 2024).

What helps a tummy tuck scar

Not smoking

This has the strongest evidence. A review of 140 studies with almost 480,000 patients found that smokers had about twice the rate of delayed healing and wound breakdown, and 3.6 times the rate of tissue death, compared with nonsmokers (Archives of Surgery, 2012). ASPS lists being a nonsmoker among the criteria for a good tummy tuck candidate (ASPS).

Less tension on the wound

The NHS advises keeping your knees bent in bed and taking it easy for about 6 weeks to avoid straining the stitches. It is common to find it hard to stand up straight at first, and that improves with time. Follow your surgeon's rules on lifting and bending.

Silicone gel or sheets

Silicone is the most-studied home treatment. A Cochrane review of 20 trials found weak evidence that silicone gel sheeting helps prevent thick scars in people prone to them, and improves thickness and color of existing thick scars. The authors stressed that the trials were of poor quality, so "a great deal of uncertainty prevails" (Cochrane, 2013). Ask your surgeon when the wound is closed enough to start.

Massage

Many surgeons recommend scar massage, but the evidence is thin. One review called it "anecdotally effective" with "scarce scientific data" (Dermatologic Surgery, 2012). A 2022 review of 25 studies found possible benefits for pain, movement and scar appearance, but methods varied too much to be sure (Journal of Hand Therapy, 2022). Do not massage until your surgeon says the wound has healed.

Lasers and other treatments

A 2022 Cochrane review found there is not enough evidence to support or rule out laser treatment for thick or keloid scars. There was low-certainty evidence for one type, the pulsed-dye laser (Cochrane, 2022). International scar guidelines favor combining several treatments, such as silicone, steroid injections and lasers, for problem scars (Dermatologic Surgery, 2014).

Scar revision

If the scar heals badly, it can often be improved, but not erased. ASPS describes options from creams and dressings to minimally invasive treatments and surgical revision. It also stresses that a scar cannot be completely removed (ASPS). After a surgical revision, the new scar can take up to a year to fully heal and fade (ASPS). Because a scar keeps changing for 12 to 18 months, it is hard to judge the final result early. Ask your surgeon when they would consider a revision.

Questions to ask about your scar before surgery

• Where exactly will my scar be, and how long will it be?
• Will I have a new belly button scar?
• How will you close the wound, and what will you do to reduce tension on it?
• What scar care do you recommend, and from when?
• Can I see healed scars, at 1 year or more, from patients with a body like mine?
• What happens if I get dog ears or a thick scar?

More general questions are in our plastic surgeon checklist.

If you have your tummy tuck abroad

• Agree on scar placement in person, before surgery day, with markings made while you stand.
• Ask about wound problems. Who treats a wound that opens after you fly home, and who pays?
• Take photos of the scar every few weeks. They help a home surgeon judge how it is healing.
• Ask about a revision policy for dog ears or a poor scar, in writing.

Our tummy tuck in Mexico guide covers trip length, and our safety guide explains how to check a clinic. For U.S. prices, see the tummy tuck cost page.

Related reading: Arm Lift Recovery: Week-by-Week Timeline and Scar Care Tips.