After a tummy tuck, the ears are usually left in the same place they were before surgery. However, if your dog’s ears were in the wrong spot and you’d like them to be lower, you can make an appointment with your vet to have them surgically relocated. The procedure will take just a few minutes and is typically covered by insurance.
The best time to relocate your dog’s ears is after they’ve had time to heal from their current location—usually around eight weeks post-surgery. You should also consider whether or not your dog will need antibiotics or pain medication during this time period, as these drugs can prevent swelling that would otherwise occur during surgery.
In this article we’ll discuss what causes dog ears after tummy tuck and how much does it cost to remove dog ears after tummy tuck.
While it sounds like an adorable part of an animal, dog ears are a type of minor deformity that is common and sometimes unavoidable following the surgical closure of wounds. It may occur in any operation, but in plastic and cosmetic surgery, dog ears are observed mostly after a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) surgery, or a panniculectomy wherein incisions are elliptical.
How Do Dog Ears Happen?
The term dog ears technically refer to the protruding skin or tissues at the extreme ends of a closed incision. In plastic surgery, dog ears are common in procedures that involve skin tightening and require elliptical incisions like a tummy tuck. A tummy tuck is a surgical procedure that removes the resulting excess, sagging skin after weight loss. It likewise tightens loose muscles in the midsection or abdomen that separated due to improper core exercises techniques and pregnancy.
Primarily, the formation of dog ears depends mainly on the incision made during a tummy tuck. The incision length, placement, and shape can all lead to having dog ears post-tummy tuck.
What Causes Dog Ears After Tummy Tuck
- Incision length
Dog ears usually arise due to shortened incisions during a tummy tuck. Shorter surgical cuts are harder to suture-close. Thus, the skin at one or both ends of the incision tend to fold and protrude. - Incision placement
The location of the surgical incision not only leads to the formation of dog ears but also affects the length of the cut. Placing an incision lower in the abdomen, like in a mini tummy tuck requires a shorter incision since the pubic region is a smaller area compared to the upper abdominal area. Thus, upon closure of the incision, the skin can likewise bend and fold forming dog ears. - Incision shape
Tummy tuck incision is elliptical, going from hip-to-hip across the lower abdomen. A non-standard form of an incision as such can become challenging to suture close as wound edges may become misaligned. The skin may scrunch up, resulting in dog ears at one or both ends of the closed incision.
Skin quality can also contribute to having dog ears after a tummy tuck. The skin can become loose after constant exposure to environmental factors that cause skin aging. Its underlying collagen and elastin, which are connective tissues that provide support, breaks down, making the skin less manageable. Thus, when suturing incision during a tummy tuck, the loose skin tends to wrinkle at the end of the incision.
Treatment for Dog Ears
Dog ears are a minor deformity that resolves on its own if the extended skin is small enough to resorb. However, if there is a sizable portion protruding at the closed incision, revision surgery can be performed under local anesthesia.
The revision surgery depends on whether the protruding skin is due to poor skin laxity or excess tissues. Based on these cases, revision surgery is often performed as:
- Excision of the Extended Skin
This method involves extending the incision longer before cutting away the excess skin. While it does eliminate the deformity, it results in longer scars due to the extension of the initial surgical cut. - Liposuction
Sometimes, it’s not just skin that forms dog ears. The residual fat that remained from prior weight loss can add bulk to the formed dog ears. Thus, liposuction touches up the area along with the removal of the extra skin.
Can You Prevent The Formation of Dog Ears?
In general, there is no way of telling who is more prone to forming dog ears after a tummy tuck or any other surgery. That’s also why most plastic surgeons, including myself, advise patients to wait at least six (6) months after their tummy tuck surgery. This period provides ample time for the wounds to heal and to determine if the patient will form dog ears or not in his/her suture site.
While there is no way to determine whether a patient will form dog ears, there are ways to avoid having the deformity. These include:
- Have a skillfully planned incision
This method involves the expertise and skill of the patient’s plastic surgeon. While longer incisions do entail having longer tummy tuck scars, proper placement of the surgical cut along with less skin tension during suturing would make the resulting scar thin and well-blended after 6 to 18 months. Make sure that you discuss with your plastic surgeon your desires and expectations, including scarring possibilities. In that way, your plastic surgeon will be able to suggest an appropriate incision plan based on your goals. - Keep your skin healthy before undergoing a tummy tuck
Healthy skin can equate to having good skin quality, which can be beneficial after skin tightening procedures. Maintaining the elasticity of the skin through a proper skin care regimen would enable your skin to be pliable to the new contour of the body. Thus, there will be no excess skin that forms dog ears following surgery.
Realistic Expectations and a Skillful Plastic Surgeon
The occurrence of any deformity like dog ears after a tummy tuck or any surgery can be bothersome. Complications are always a risk but can be prevented given that a board-certified plastic surgeon guides you.
It is essential that you relay your goals and expectations from the procedure to them during the consultation. Their years of study, training, and skill in performing tummy tuck allows them to develop a surgical plan that minimizes complications and unsatisfactory results.
In plastic surgery, a dog ear is a term used to describe a point or fold at the end of a skin-tightening incision. They are common at the sides of tummy tuck incisions or the end of breast reduction scars. They may look like little bumps at the end of surgical scars.
This blog from board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Hayley Brown breaks down what dog ears after plastic surgery are, what causes them, and your options for improving their appearance. Dr. Brown has decades of experience helping her patients achieve natural, harmonious results. Read on to learn about dog ears and how she can help you reduce them.
What Causes Dog Ears In Plastic Surgery?
Dog ears in plastic surgery are most commonly seen at the end of incisions after these procedures:
- Tummy tuck
- Breast reduction
During a tummy tuck, excess skin is removed in an elliptical shape between your belly button and pubic area. Then, the remaining skin is stretched and tightened and reattached at the incision site. During a breast reduction, your skin will be tightened along the inferior breast fold
After either procedure, your skin will be tightest in the center of the scar, less tight on the edges of the scar, and not tightened at all past the borders of the scar.
Dog ears are formed because of the difference in skin tightness of the incision and the tissue surrounding it. Because the skin is tighter along the scar and looser further away, it tends to pucker. Imagine how, when you dart fabric, the tuck at the sides naturally comes to a point. Dog ears after plastic surgery work the same way.
Dog Ears In “Mini” Surgeries
Patients often ask Dr. Brown about the “mini” tummy tuck because it has a smaller scar and shorter recovery period. Some patients are not as comfortable with the scar that comes with a full tummy tuck and find the smaller scar of a “mini” tummy tuck more acceptable.
However, “mini” tummy tucks are equally susceptible to dog ears. Dr. Brown has seen cases where a “mini” tummy tuck patient had post-operative revision surgery on their dog ears, only to be left with a full-tummy-tuck-sized scar without the dramatic results of a full tummy tuck.
Treating Dog Ears
There are numerous ways dog ears can be treated to help improve their appearance, including:
- Massage
- Steroid injections
- Scar revision surgery
Revision surgery for dog ears involves removing a small, elliptical-shaped piece of tissue from the end of the scar. This will reduce the size of the dog ear while extending the length of the scar.
How Much Does It Cost To Remove Dog Ears After Tummy Tuck
Dog ears after a tummy tuck can result from sagging skin and extra fat on the flanks. Liposuction or surgical excision can fix these problems, but it can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000.