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Tummy Tuck
Do you reopen the same c section scar for a tummy tuck and if so is it ok if it's already been opened 3 times before?
Yes. Nearly every tummy tuck incision is designed to remove or sit right along the old c-section scar, since both incisions run low across the abdomen. The tissue removed during a tummy tuck usually includes that scar entirely.
Having it opened three times before isn't necessarily disqualifying, but it does matter. Each surgery lays down more scar tissue, and scar tissue has a less robust blood supply than normal skin. That can affect wound healing at the incision, particularly at the corners, where tension and blood flow are already working against you. Surgeons account for this by adjusting incision placement, limiting tension, and sometimes staging the procedure if the tissue looks compromised.
This is very dependent on the individual scar, so an in-person exam is the only way to judge how your tissue will behave. Bring up your surgical history in detail at your consultation, and make sure whoever operates is board-certified and has experience with revisional abdominal work.
Clinical Context
Every surgery leaves fibrous scar tissue with fewer blood vessels than normal skin, which is why previously operated areas can heal more slowly or unpredictably. This is a general principle of wound healing, not specific to c-section scars. How a scar has healed in the past—color, thickness, flexibility—tells your surgeon more than simply counting how many times it's been reopened. That's why an in-person exam of the actual tissue matters more than the surgical history alone.
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