The Final Touch

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I was now enjoying my revised body immensely. My stomach looked and felt great and my scar faded with each passing month. Although still noticeable, the elongated scar was not an eyesore, and will continue to fade over time.

I was, however, self-conscious about my skin puckers—one at each hip. Referred to as “dog ears” in the biz, these are small, raised areas of excess skin found at either end of the sealed incision. Not everyone who undergoes a tummy tuck develops skin puckers, which can occur due to the use of shorter incisions during the procedure. Shorter incisions are preferred to keep the scar as small as possible, but they can be more difficult to close, causing the skin to fold and protrude.

The plan was to massage the skin regularly to encourage it to flatten on its own. However, if the protrusions persisted for a year, Dr. Fichadia would remove them with a minor in-office procedure. In my case, the puckers didn’t work themselves out, and I ended up needing the procedure. I would remain awake and alert for this one and would not require a driver.

I was filled with a mix of excitement and dread on the day of the appointment. In hindsight, I wish I had arranged for a ride, as this would have made it possible for me to take a diazepam to calm my nerves. However, since I needed to drive myself home, that wasn’t an option.

I had hoped the procedure would be quick, but it ended up taking about 80 minutes. Everything went smoothly, and I’m more than pleased. Dr. Fichadia started by cold spraying my left hip, numbing it in preparation for the series of local anesthetic shots. I felt no pain as she trimmed away the excess skin and adjacent adipose tissue. She then shaped the area, excised any remaining folds, and cauterized the site to seal it and prevent bleeding.

I avoided looking directly at the site but watched the smoke as it rose from my flesh during the cauterization stage. Dr. Fichadia placed sutures to close the incisions, and dressings were applied. The same process was then repeated on my right hip. I asked the assistant to save the removed tissue so I could photograph it. While I’m too vain to share a photo of the dog ears while they were still part of me, I have no problem showing them to you now that they are gone.

I was reasonably comfortable during and after the procedure, but by bedtime, the anesthetics wore off, and the swelling had become significant—nothing that a couple of Tylenol couldn’t handle. The discomfort lasted for about 36 hours as bruising developed and swelling persisted. Ice packs applied to the sites provided instant relief.

The bruising and dressings will work themselves out over a couple of weeks, after which I would resume scar therapy, this time for the new sites.

I continue to feel some tightness in the area where my loose abdominal muscles had been tightened—between my upper abdomen (just below the rib cage), running downward, and ending at the pubic symphysis. I understand that this tightness will remain indefinitely, and that’s fine: It doesn’t hurt, it’s just different.