By Dr. Neinstein
Why Tummy Tuck Incisions Are Getting Longer in New York City
As I get older I find I am finding more and more scenarios in life that require me to hold and believe in two opposing views. This is an evolution of my own mental capacity because when I was young I saw the world in much more black and white or binary as it was easier to navigate in that sense. Getting deeper into the deep end of surgery and its effect on human beings requires an evolution of the psychological capacity of the surgeon.
Two opposing beliefs that are both true and both matter for tummy tucks
- Patients want shorter scars
- The longer the scar the better the results
That may seem existential for a plastic surgeon describing his evolving techniques in tummy tucks in New York City but this single operation has become my life’s calling. There is almost a hidden force within me that causes never ending growth and transformation. Diving deeper and deeper into the needs and wants of moms looking for tummy tucks I constantly encounter fear around the concept of the scar. Is it the presence of a scar that somehow conveys weakness or is it actually the idea that the body is not whole and somewhat deformed. Again, I know this seems odd for a plastic surgeon who focuses on tummy tucks in New York City but when you have found your life’s calling you try to think about everything from every possible angle.
I don’t know much in life but I do know without a doubt this. When i am able to give patients the body they have always wanted they never I mean never have concerns about the tummy tuck scar. That is the big takeaway.
For those thinking about getting a tummy tuck in NYC let me explain a little in the details of scar location and length and how this will correlated to your life’s happiness and also why in 2023 and in 2024 scar length is getting longer.
I always put the tummy tuck scar in the underwear bikini line.
Let’s look at a few patients in various stages of healing and where their scar is:
What we see in these pictures is mothers who are healing or healed from their tummy tucks with us and are so absolutely happy with their bodies that they are sharing their happiness through pictures. As you can see tummy tucks are not about scars or about downtime but about happiness and its search for it. Our goal is to bring moms confidence and happiness back as it relates to the way they interact with the world with their body. That may seem odd but this is what I hear from moms after their tummy tucks with us at the follow up
“why did I wait so long”
“what was I wearing before, I must have looked like I was wearing maternity clothes”
“ I literally walk into my closet and put on whatever I want, I don’t think about it and its completely liberating”
“doc I cant tell you how good it feels to look in the mirror and enjoy the sight I see”
“doc I literally am always showing off my stomach, I thought this crop top club thing was a joke but honestly I literally am always in a crop top club and I am a conservative mom”
So let’s get back to why tummy tuck scars are getting longer.
- Sophisticated patients are seeking a higher level of results which means we need to take more loose skin off to give better results
- Patients are coming in looser than ever because of the new weight loss medications and the over achiever mentality of so many moms
Let’s take a look at a few moms who have come to see us recently, this is a random selection of mommy makeover or tummy tuck patients who have come to our Upper East Side Manhattan plastic surgery office all with the same concerns.
“doc I cant take it anymore, I love my kids but i need to help because diet and exercise does not work anymore”
Side note: they are happy, mature, amazing people and always like to let me know they are not “plastic surgery people” but they and their husbands/partners just want to relieve a frustration.
So let’s get back to the paradox of paradox’s, the demands and requests of patients have increased to more and more comprehensive but at the same time natural tummy tuck results all the while showing up to the office for their tummy tuck consult with looser skin than ever because of a combined commitment to fitness and clean eating and accelerated weight loss for many using weight loss medications like Ozempic.
Ok, it is essential you trust your surgeon, the surgeon and the patient must meet on the bridge of trust. Now, humans can smell maleficence so the surgeon needs to love to do surgery, must love people, have performed enough procedures of the same kind over a long enough of period of time to convey conviction. Once the surgeon and the patient meet on the bridge of trust and the mom seeking the tummy tuck knows and believes that her surgeon will make the decisions during surgery in her best interest with her aesthetic sensibilities in mind the surgeon can convey to the patient the extent of the tummy tuck needed to get the patient the results they desire.
Once we have established trust especially as it relates to tummy tucks in NYC in my office we can talk about the scar length.
The scar length is not a choice, the scar will be as long as it needs to be based on your anatomy during a tummy tuck to get the best results. At the end of the day nobody, and I mean nobody, cares about the scar when they get the best body they have ever had from a tummy tuck in our NYC manhattan office.
The length of the scar does not matter but the quality of the scar does.
Top 5 Ways to Get A Scar That You Won’t Care |About
- Your plastic surgeon does progressive tension sutures (sew the skin to the muscle so the tension is not on the incision line)
- Your surgeon does the closure in three layers with small dainty sutures
- Use of incision management system to increase blood supply
- Have private after care nursing so you can remain flexed for 4 days
- Follow every single scar protocol from the team of nurse practioners who are scar obsessed in your plastic surgeons office
At the end of the day I have literally and continue to be captured by the hearts and minds of mothers whether they are 35,55, or 65 who come to see me for their tummy tuck and mommy makeover needs. Its my absolute life thrill and calling to show up every day with gusto and then show up every morning in your hotel or apartment to check on you with love because making moms fall in love with their bodies again is something special and I am so happy that I get to do it every day and become lifelong friends in a meaningful relationship with so many amazing women from around the world.
Last pic!
Here is a healed tummy tuck scar from her mommy makeover in NYC at our Manhattan Upper East Side office:
