If you have recently undergone tummy tuck surgery, you may be wondering if it is safe to get a tattoo over the scar. The answer to this question is not a simple one, as both options have pros and cons. In this blog post, we will discuss the safety of getting a tattoo over a scar and help you decide what is best for you!

• Tummy Tuck Procedure
• Tummy Tuck Scars
• Tattoo over scars: Why people do it
• Tummy Tuck Tattoo: Does it hurt?
• Tummy Tuck Tattoo Considerations

An Overview on Abdominoplasty

An abdominoplasty is a plastic surgery operation that flattens your abdomen by removing excess fat and skin and strengthening abdominal wall muscle1qss. A stomach tuck is another name for this surgical treatment.

Tummy tucks can be either “mini” or “full” surgeries, depending on the amount of skin and fat removed. It is critical to educate yourself, properly assess your particular position, and deliberate before making a final decision. The method should not be used as a substitute for weight loss. Sometimes, if a very little amount of fat is required to be removed, using nonsurgical intervention, like freezeframe creams that promise fat burn can suffice.

Tummy Tuck Procedure

This procedure might take anywhere from one to five hours, depending on the outcomes you seek. Surgery is often performed as an outpatient procedure. If you are travelling out of town to have the operation performed, you will be required to stay overnight at a hotel. Liposuction may or may not be recommended concurrently.

You will be put to sleep throughout the procedure using a general anaesthetic. You must have someone with you who can drive you home. If you live alone and are sent home following the treatment, you will require someone to be with you for at least the first night.

Complete or full abdominoplasty

This procedure is reserved for those who require the most repair. The incision (cut) is performed at the bikini line, near the level of your pubic hair. The quantity of excess skin determines the length of the scar. The skin and muscle will subsequently be manipulated and shaped as needed by the surgeon.

With this treatment, you will also have an incision around your navel (belly button) to liberate your navel from surrounding tissue. Drainage tubes may or may not be inserted beneath the skin. As determined by your surgeon, these will be removed in a few days.

Mini Tummy Tucks

Mini-abdominoplasties are performed with shorter incisions and are frequently performed on patients with less extra skin. During this sort of treatment, your belly button is unlikely to be displaced. Your skin will be split between the incision line and your belly button. This treatment usually takes between one and two hours. You may or may not have drainage tubes following surgery, as with a total abdominoplasty.

Circumferential abdominoplasty

This procedure involves the entire abdomen, including the back. When there is a lot of extra fat in both the back and the waist, you can undergo either back liposuction or circumferential abdominoplasty. The latter operation removes skin and fat from the hip and back regions, improving the form of the body.

Tummy Tuck Scars

How do tummy tuck scars look? Tummy tuck incisions often span from hip bone to hip bone, with a tiny incision around the belly button. This enables your physician to remove all tissue beneath and slightly above the abdominal button. Stretch marks in that area will also be gone. The belly button is moved out through a new aperture but remains on the abdominal wall in its original position. If liposuction is included in your operation, these extra incisions will be tiny and will be made in an area of tissue that will be removed.

The tiny tummy tuck is recommended for people with minor extra skin or roundness in the region right below the belly button. This is possible with a shorter incision, frequently the same length or slightly longer than a standard C-section scar. The incision and healing time for a tiny tummy tuck are often less than those for a traditional abdominoplasty. Most tummy tuck scars will fade over time, but they will never disappear completely. In some cases, tummy tuck scars can become lumpy or folded. To minimise the appearance of tummy tuck scars, you must carefully follow your surgeon’s instructions.

Here are some general tips for minimising the appearance of tummy tuck scars:

• Apply a silicone sheet or wrap to the scar for at least six months after surgery.
• Avoid sun exposure to the scar.
• Avoid activities that could stretch or distort the scar (e.g., running, stretching, weightlifting).
• Use a moisturiser on the scar to keep it soft and smooth.

Tattoo over scars: Why people do it

Although some people wear scars with pride, others may look at scarred skin as a sort of blemish. People often get tattoos over spots because they want to cover them up. They may feel self-conscious about the scar and think that a tattoo will make it less noticeable. Some people also get tattoos over spots because they like how the tattoo looks, and they want to show it off.

For various reasons, a person may opt to hide a scar or stretch mark with a tattoo.

People hide scars mostly because they are dissatisfied with their looks. Everyone has spots, but some individuals are more self-conscious about their appearance than others. Some people just choose to conceal their wounds with tattoos.

Others have scarring as a result of improving oneself after a remarkable transformation that necessitated surgery, such as a tummy tuck. Getting a tattoo over scars might seem like regaining one’s body and self in certain situations.

Does a Tummy Tuck Tattoo Hurt?

Because everyone’s body is unique, so is their level of pain tolerance. That’s why some individuals have a lot of pain when getting a regular tattoo while others don’t. On the other hand, scar tissue is often more painful to tattoo than unscarred skin. And in certain situations, tummy tuck tattoos may be excruciatingly painful.

Scar discomfort is widespread, according to experts, especially in patients whose scars have caused nerve injury or compression, such as amputation scars. Some wound marks are more painful than others, such as:

• keloid scars
• atrophic scars
• hypertrophic scars
• burn scars

Scars that are deep or large will also be more painful to tattoo. Like mini tummy tuck scars, tattooing over mild scarring is more manageable and a bit less painful because they’re more minor scars that lie primarily flat to the skin and remain within the boundaries of the old wound. This issue paves the way for temporary tattoos to be used as an alternative.

Tummy Tuck Tattoo Considerations

Before getting a tattoo over a tummy tuck scar, there are a few things to consider.

Let your scar heal.

It’s essential to make sure that your scar is healed fully. You should wait until your surgeon gives you the go-ahead to get a tattoo.

Find a professional.

You need to find a qualified tattoo artist who has experience tattooing over scars. The artist should be familiar with the best techniques for minimising the appearance of scars.

Be realistic.

You need to be realistic about the results. A tummy tuck scar tattoo will not completely erase the scar, but it can help to camouflage it and make it less noticeable.

Your tattoo could cause more scarring.

This is primarily a concern for persons who have keloid scars or are predisposed to them. Keloid scars are often thick and red, with a raised, rounded, and uneven form.

Scar tissue can build up for an extended period after the initial damage, or it might expand beyond the wound’s borders. If you have or are prone to keloid scarring, having a tattoo to hide your scar is more likely to make it worse. If you wish to conceal a recently created keloid scar, wait at least a year for it to heal entirely.

For deeper or more extensive scars, you may have to wait much longer, maybe 3 or 5 years. Tattooing a healed keloid scar minimises the likelihood of it worsening.

Your tattoo’s colour may bleed.

Scars harden your skin and cause irregularities on its surface. Scarred skin absorbs less ink than unscarred skin.

Ink also settles more randomly in scar tissue than in unscarred skin. As a result, the ink in the tattoo covering your scar may move, causing your tattoo to seem smeared or indistinct.

Choosing a tattoo artist who has expertise in concealing scars will help lessen the chances of the spot developing.

Your tattoo may seem irregular.

Stretch marks and acne scars are examples of atrophic scars. This implies they make indentations in the skin. These scars are frequently smooth to the touch and lighter in colour. Once healed, atrophic scars are typically safe to tattoo over. However, because atrophic scars are frequently pigmented and do not match your skin tone, finding tummy tuck tattoo ideas that can cover these scars smoothly. A professional tattoo artist can assist you in determining the tummy tuck cover design for your scar. Alternatively, you might want to think about getting a medical-grade tattoo that matches your skin tone.

Many people choose to cover their scars with tattoos. Doing so can be an excellent way to hide the appearance of a scar you’re uncomfortable with or to mark your victory over an illness or injury. If you’re considering a tattoo to cover a spot, there are some things to consider first. You’ll want to think about the type of scar you have, just what the best tummy tuck tattoo design could cover your wound mark is, and which artist you should have to do your tattoo. You’re more likely to get the best possible results if you’ve thought about those things.

References:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/tummy-tuck/about/pac-20384892

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/11017-abdominoplasty-tummy-tuck

https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/blog/what-kind-of-scar-can-you-expect-after-a-tummy-tuck

https://www.byrdie.com/tattooing-over-scars-3189550

https://www.healthline.com/health/body-modification/tattoo-over-scar#finding-an-artist

https://www.healthline.com/health/keloid-tattoo

https://www.realself.com/question/arizona-az-tattoo-cover-my-tummy-tuck-scar