Hi, I had a tummy tuck that ended up leaving me with an open wound for months, part of the result was that my vagina ended up looking deformed. I’m really self conscious and have not been intimate in the last 5 years because of it. My armpit area has giant scars due to the incisions opening as well. Is there anything that could fix this? Thank you for your attention I look forward to hearing back.
Hi,
Sometimes too much skin removal can cause an area to be tight or form a contracture , and this can be fixed by reconstructive surgery where the scar is released and the area is skin grafted. Sometimes this is covered by insurance . We would need to meet you to see what can be done .
Mort Rizvi
West Empire Plastic Surgery
It sounds like too much tissue was removed and the incision was closed under tension or some of the tissue died and the resulting scar contracted. The first will require more tissue by either skin flap rotations, skin grafting or external skin expansion such as Dermaclose. The second would require scar excision/revision and methodologies to prevent recurrence.
Most health insurance will not cover this if the original surgery was cosmetic.
I hope you realize that this format of posting questions and receiving answers lacks the face to face direct communication required for you to make an informed decision regarding your surgery.
My response to your question/post does not represent formal medical advice or constitute a doctor patient relationship. You need to consult with i.e. personally see a board certified plastic surgeon in order to receive a formal evaluation and develop a doctor patient relationship in order to know if this assessment is valid.
Thanks for your question. Without knowing more information, and examining your medical records, its hard to say why the incision opened up. There are things that can be done to fix this such as a scar revision. In addition, there are factors that can be controlled to prevent further complications such as stopping all nicotine products, and all medical issues such as diabetes is controlled.
Please consult with a board certified plastic surgeon to go over all of your options.
A full history and physical examination is needed to discuss your options and what to expect.
Revision surgery is possible , there might be some more vertical scar to release the pubis and perineum.
You need to understand all your options before the revision surgery
The armpit scars might be able to be addressed with microneedling/lasers/PRP/nanofat treatments. I have had good success with those modalities.
For a vaginal deformity I would contact my colleague and good friend, Dr. Gary Alter in Beverly Hills. If the vaginal area healed too tightly and the shape has been compromised, and it is affecting your personal life, you need to see a specialist.
Thank you for sharing your question and I am sorry to hear of your healing difficulties. Unfortunately without photographs or an in-person examination it is difficult to offer advice. I would seek out your surgeon to discuss your concerns, or other surgeons in your area for second opinions. There is almost always something that can be done to improve upon your areas of complication.
It is likely that some improvement can be made, however without photos or better, an in person examination, a surgical plan cannot be determined. Go visit a few surgeons.
I hope you've invested in a consultation to find out what your options are. As others have said, a face to face or photos is needed to determine what is causing your problem and only then and after then can a plan be formulated that may address your concerns. Your recovery from your procedures sound horrendous but as surgeons, we all realize that this can happen to the best of us. See someone and find out what you can do to address your concerns.