Do you have dog ears after tummy tuck? Well, you’re not alone. Dog ears are a common problem after a tummy tuck and can make recovery more difficult. They are called this because they look like the shape of an ear on a dog’s head—flat against the skin with a rounded tip pointing out. They occur when there is too much skin left over from an abdominoplasty incision or when there has been insufficient removal of fat from under the skin flap that was brought down from above during surgery. You’re likely wondering how to get rid of dog ears after tummy tuck—good news! There are multiple ways to tackle this issue but we’ll outline them below:
Dog ears are a common postoperative complication that occurs in patients who undergo a tummy tuck. Dog ears are folded skin that forms behind the ear and can be very unsightly. They can be caused by many factors, including genetics, pre-existing medical conditions or lifestyle choices like smoking.
Dog ears commonly form when your surgeon removes excess fat and skin from areas of your body such as your abdomen or thighs. This is done to tighten loose skin that may have developed as a result of pregnancy, significant weight loss or aging. However, if you’re not careful during recovery after surgery, they could develop into something even more serious—so let’s talk about what causes them (and what you can do to prevent them).
Dog ears are a normal part of the healing process after a tummy tuck. Your surgeon will likely warn you about them, and you should be prepared for them to occur. Dog ears are flaps of skin that extend from the incision line, which can cause bulging or puckering around your belly button. A dog ear may also appear as an extra fold of skin near your incision site.
Here’s why they happen: During any abdominal surgery, there’s going to be some swelling after the operation—it’s just part of the process. But if you have excessive swelling or edema (fluid retention) after a tummy tuck procedure, those areas will often pull and stretch at an increased rate over time due to gravity pulling down on everything below your waistline once again! So yes: dog ears occur frequently after tummy tuck surgery because gravity is against us all when it comes down to it!”
What are dog ears?
Dog ears are folds of skin that form on the lower abdomen, usually after a tummy tuck. The dog ear is commonly caused by excess skin left behind after an abdominoplasty procedure. The dog ear can be removed with a revision of your tummy tuck by your plastic surgeon, who will trim and remove any excess skin from your abdominal area.
Dog ears can be avoided if you have a proper tummy tuck technique performed during your first surgery by your plastic surgeon who has experience performing these procedures and understands how to minimize scarring as much as possible while still removing all excess fat, skin and muscle in order to obtain the best result possible.
Large Dog Ears After Tummy Tuck
How do you fix dog ears after a tummy tuck?
Dog ears can be fixed in two ways: by removing the extra skin, or by repositioning it. If the dog ear is small and caused by excess skin, your surgeon may suggest that you simply remove that portion of the dog ear so that it doesn’t hang down over your incision. If there’s more than one dog ear, or if it’s causing irritation to other areas of your stomach, then your surgeon may recommend removing some portion of fat from beneath the flap of skin and repositioning it higher up on your abdomen. This will help avoid further inflammation and allow for proper healing after surgery.
How to avoid the formation of dog ears after a tummy tuck
There are a few things you can do to avoid the formation of dog ears after tummy tuck.
- Avoid wearing tight clothes, especially underwear. This causes skin to stretch and leads to dog ears.
- Avoid sitting for long periods of time, such as 12 hours or more per day at work or on your couch watching TV or doing crossword puzzles! Sitting will also cause skin to stretch and lead to dog ears if not corrected early enough in the healing process (usually 2-3 weeks).
- Avoid exercising vigorously, heavy lifting etc., as this can cause trauma and may result in poorer healing than usual for that person’s body type resulting in more scar tissue formation which could potentially lead down a path toward development of “dog ear” deformity if left untreated over time due to continued strain being placed upon newly formed scars by repeated trauma coming from physical activity like running/jogging/biking/etcetera – please see below section titled “Preventing Excessive Scar Tissue Formation After Surgery”.
Dog ears are normal after a tummy tuck. You can ask your surgeon for revision surgery.
If you have dog ears after a tummy tuck, you should ask your surgeon about revision surgery. While not always necessary, it is possible to correct the problem with further surgery. Revision surgery is expensive and does not always work.
If you are deciding whether or not to get a tummy tuck, talk with your doctor about what kind of results you can expect from the procedure and how much recovery time will be involved.
What Causes Dog Ears After Tummy Tuck
Dog ears, also known as standing cones or standing cones, are a common complication that can occur after surgery. In general, they occur because the incision was too short, causing a bulge to occur. This can be due to poor surgical planning, or because the patient requested a shorter incision. Dog ears are mainly composed of fatty tissue, so overweight patients are also more at risk than those with a lower BMI.
When a surgeon makes an incision that is too short, the excess tissue at the end of the incision can bunch up and create a dog ear. This can be unsightly and may require additional surgery to correct. Poor surgical planning, such as not taking into account the natural contours of the body, can also lead to the formation of dog ears. Additionally, if a patient requests a shorter incision in order to minimize scarring, they may inadvertently increase their risk of developing dog ears.
Patients who are overweight are more likely to develop dog ears because they have more fatty tissue in the area where the incision is made. This excess tissue can bunch up and create a bulge at the end of the incision, leading to the formation of a dog ear. Patients with a lower BMI are less likely to develop dog ears because they have less fatty tissue in the area where the incision is made.
In order to prevent the formation of dog ears, surgeons should carefully plan their incisions to take into account the natural contours of the body. They should also consider the patient’s BMI and adjust the length of the incision accordingly. Patients should also be educated about the risks of developing dog ears and the importance of maintaining a healthy weight.
In conclusion, dog ears are a common complication that can occur after surgery. They are mainly caused by incisions that are too short, poor surgical planning, or excess fatty tissue in overweight patients. By taking these factors into account and carefully planning incisions, surgeons can help reduce the risk of developing dog ears and improve the overall outcome of surgery.
Recovery After Dog Ear Removal
In most cases you can expect the downtime after dog ear correction surgery to last no more than a few days. This is true whether the procedure involves liposuction or not.
You should be able to resume your regular activities after just a week, with the exception being exercise. While many surgeons will recommend that you abstain from strenuous physical activity for six weeks, your surgeon may approve light cardio after as little as 2-3 weeks.
When can you expect your dog ear to form?
Tummy tucks, liposuction, breast lifts and reductions and even reconstructions can all cause dog ears to form. These are areas where the skin is pulled tight over the underlying tissue and cartilage. If your dog ear is not firmly attached to its underlying structure (bone) then it will move with stretching of that structure as it heals. This movement causes the edges of your skin to separate which allows fluid retention under them giving them a characteristic appearance similar to an animal’s ears.
The good news is that they don’t look like real animal ears! They will fade in color over time as well as soften up their appearance; however if left alone for too long they may become permanent features on your body!
Why do you get them in the first place?
It helps to know the cause of dog ears because it will help you decide what type of treatment is needed. The most common reason for a dog ear is excess skin, but other reasons include:
- Fat and skin folding
- Poor surgical technique (excess skin)
- Poor skin closure technique (excess skin)
What happens when dog ears form?
Dog ears are a common side effect of tummy tucks. They’re caused when the edges of your skin heal together, pulling upward and creating a fold that resembles an ear. In some cases, these folds can even be folded back over themselves to create actual ears.
Dog ears are most likely to form if you have loose skin or had a lot of extra skin removed during surgery. If your dog ears do form, they’ll need to be surgically corrected by your plastic surgeon so that they don’t stick out as much anymore or cause discomfort when you move around or lie down on them at night. Your doctor can help you decide whether this is something you want done once they’ve examined your post-op area up close.
How do you get rid of dog ears after tummy tuck?
There are several options for getting rid of dog ears after tummy tuck, including:
- Massage Therapy. Massage therapy is a popular option to remove dog ears, but it is not the only way that you can go about doing this. In fact, massage therapy is often used along with other methods that we’ll discuss below. The pros of massage therapy are that it’s non-invasive and there’s very little risk involved with using it on yourself at home. However, there may be some pain associated with massaging the area (especially if you’re using lotion) and massaging alone won’t give you 100% results—you’ll probably need additional treatments as well!
- Tummy Tuck Revision Surgery . If you don’t want to spend any time or money trying out different methods on your own and would prefer just getting rid of those pesky dog ears once and for all then tummy tuck revision surgery may be the best option for you! This type of surgery involves removing excess skin from your abdomen area so that when it heals back together again everything looks nice and flat again without any folds in sight (just like when it was originally done). This procedure does come with risks like infection or bleeding but overall most patients experience pretty fast recoveries because not much tissue has been removed beyond just cutting away excess skin; however there could still be some scaring depending on what technique was used during surgery itself so make sure to ask before booking an appointment if necessary!
Takeaway: It may take a few procedures to get rid of dog ears completely.
If you’ve already had a tummy tuck and dog ears remain, you may need some additional procedures to get rid of them. Your surgeon can use injectable fillers, fat grafting or laser treatments to help reduce the appearance of dog ears. If your surgeon recommends using a filler or fat grafting for your dog ears, he or she will likely also recommend other procedures that can help improve upon the results.
It may take several procedures before you get rid of all signs of dog ears completely. After each procedure, be sure to give yourself time for healing before moving on to another one so that you don’t risk complications such as scarring or infection.
Dog ears are a common side effect of tummy tuck surgery. They can form anywhere from two weeks to one year after your procedure, but they tend to form quickly after that initial period. If you’re worried about dog ears and want to avoid them, talk with your surgeon about options like wearing support garments or using silicone sheets before and after surgery.