All plastic surgery procedures leave scars. Body plastic surgery always leaves the longest and most visible scars by virtue of the surface area and locations of the surgical site. Tummy tucks (abdominoplasty) are one of the popular plastic surgery procedures and it is a great operation at the trade-off of a transverse low abdominal scar, often running from hip to hip. Such tummy tuck scars go through a process of healing and maturation which can be up to a year until its best state can be realized.

Patients are very interested in doing whatever scar treatments they can do to optimize the final appearance of the scar and get there as fast as they can.  While many such scar products exist, they are intended to improve its final appearance. But during this process, the abdominal scar can be quite visible due to temporary redness. Or the abdominal scar may be less than ideal even when the healing process is complete.

I came across a clever product recently for use in abdominal scars, known as Scar Art. This product is not a magic cream that purports to erase your scar. Rather it is a scar concealer that is applied as a temporary tattoo that fits transverse tummy tuck and c-section scars. They come in many artistic designs and can be changed as often as one likes. Their application and subsequent removal is easy. The product appears to last for a few days to a week. It is both waterproof and smear proof.

With so many products on the market that focus on scar treatments, it is a wonder that a temporary scar concealer was not envisioned before. While many women may not be bothered by a tummy tuck scar, some certainly are. This product provides an option during the healing process or for use in special occasions. At the least, it gives women an option to go out more socially or perhaps visit the beach or go on vacation sooner than they might otherwise. In such situations, the inks in the tattoo will provide some SPF protection as well. It is clear that this is a perfectly safe (and fun) product but it should not be used until the incision is completely healed.

One minor comment that I can not escape from pointing out is the company is a little liberal with the use of the term FDA regulated. While the inks that are used in the temporary tattoos are FDA approved, it is a stretching it to make the leap that the tattoos themselves are ‘FDA Regulated’. That implies that they have been submitted to the FDA and have some type of approval by them…which I doubt..nor it is needed for this type of cosmetic product.

Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana

Tags: abdominoplasty, dr barry eppley, indianapolis, plastic surgery, scar art, scar tattoos, temporary tattoos, tummy tuck

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