Question:
Will I end up with puppy dog ears on my hips?
— jocelyn (posted on July 7, 2004)
July 7, 2004
Well, I'm having an abdominoplasty and hernia repair next week, so I'm not
the best person to answer your question since I haven't been through it
yet. I just didn't have it in me to have surgery as extensive as a LBL, so
I gladly went with an extended abdominoplasty. In researching the
procedure, and in information my surgeon gave me, dog ears are a common
result of abdominoplasties, but they also seem to be very easy to correct.
Many will correct themselves as you heal and even out. Other times, a
minor surgical correction (often with only local anesthesia) is needed. It
didn't sound like something I was going to be worried about. And, just to
have a relatively normal look to my abdomen would be worth any scar or
small imperfection compared to the big imperfection this huge pannus
presents. My surgeon says he can get a perfectly flat tummy for me
(AMAZING!). At my pre-op visit last night he said I actually have a nice
waist under all that skin, and should have a very nice post-surgical shape.
Waist? What waist? I never had a waist... So, even a waist with small
dog ears will be OK with me (though I have no reason to think I'll have any
appreciable problems with the final result). Best wishes to you. I
wouldn't let that relatively minor possibility stop me. Talk to your
surgeon about it; I bet s/he'll be able to ease your mind.
— Vespa R.
July 7, 2004
I had an anchor incision tummy tuck and had no "dog eared"
incisions....a tummy you can bounce a quarter off of, and an hourglass
waistline that I never had at any point in my pre-WLS life. The dog ears
may be a "skill issue" on the part of the plastic surgeon. Ask
to see post-op pictures of other patients who have had the same type of
surgery that you are having. I consulted with three different surgeons
before deciding on the one that I wanted...all were very anxious to show
post-op pictures of their work. If you run into a surgeon who is reluctant
or unable to do so, I'd find another surgeon. Best wishes!
— Diana T.
July 7, 2004
I had an anchor incision abdominoplasty, I do NOT have dog ears. I have a
tummy so flat a quarter will bounce. I am 50.
— Connie M.
July 7, 2004
From what I've seen the dog ear tend to go along with a panni more than an
abdominoplasty. The panni literally just removes the roll in the front and
normally goes hip to hip and won't roll around to the back if needed. If
you are getting the kind of abdominoplasty you need then he should go
around as far as necessary to get some of the fat roll on the back. That's
really the main issue. How much fat roll you have on the back. While I
had the LBL, more so because I needed the saddlebags dealt with, all three
PS I consulted said if I was to get just an abdominoplasty they would not
have had to go around to the back as I did not have a roll on the lower
back area. My skin all hung on the front. Now up higher, above the waist,
that's where I had large rolls on the back. I also think dog ears has a
lot to do with whether you have the vertical incision or not. At least
that's my opinion. I had so much volume to be removed in all 4 directions
that I needed major skin taken out of the circumference of my body also.
So then it pulled everything smoother etc. Like someone else said, dog
ears can usually be revised fairly easily so I would not sweat it. I'm
sure your tummy will be nice and flat and you will see a shape emerge you
will like a lot. I have a nice hourglass shape all the way from hips to
breast. Never in my life have I seen this shape before. Unfortunately
it's taken 2 very extensive surgeries (19 hours of surgery time total) to
get me to this point, but it's been worth it. Fortunately my cost so far
has been $8750 of the approx. $70,000 (list price) in PS. Insurance has
actually paid about $37,000. The difference has been the 10% contract
write-off the hospital and surgeon have and the balance has been the
write-off of the difference in cost between what the charges are when
billed item by item and what I was charged as part of cosmetic surgery
packages for the hospital costs. Amazing how they can get $3400 for
$16,000 worth of charges and still at least break even. Goes to show how
things are greatly overcharged.
— zoedogcbr
July 7, 2004
I had a hip to hip incision abdominoplasty and I don't have any puppy dog
ears.
— Patty H.
July 7, 2004
This is the first that I've ehard the term "dog ears". Does
anyone have any pics of this complication? I had a tummy tuck in December,
and where the scars end on my hips, the skin bulges slightly above and
below the incision scar, almost as if the skin was pulled TOO tight by the
stitches. I'm curious to see if these are considered "dog ears".
Thanks!
— R. P.
July 7, 2004
I'm 2 1/2 months post-op from hernia repair and anchor incision
abdominoplasty. I have the dog ears, but they are slowly receding. My PS
said it would be simple to take care of if they don't fall into place. As
the stitches dissolve, I have noticed they are falling down with the one on
my left hip almost completely unnoticeable now. The only thing I will say
is that I have not gone down even one size because of my waistline. I've
been very disappointed in that, but I have read of cases where some didn't
until 4-6 months out because of swelling. I wear a control top all the time
to try to minimize swelling, but I'm so ready to see some results in that
area. Good luck on your decision!
— Tparker
July 7, 2004
I had a belt lipectomy when I was at 5'2", 150 pounds. I am now at 140
pounds. The difference is pretty incredible, and I am very happy now, after
6 months. It took a long time for the swelling to eventually go down. I
have a small dog ear on one side - it is hardly noticeable though. I
couldn't care less, and am not a bikini person, single, etc... but since I
have a huge scar on my abdomen from something else which my plastic surgeon
will be removing next year, he will probably remove the dog ear at that
point.
— kultgirl
July 8, 2004
I'm 10 weeks today from a full TT hip to hip. What a difference 2 pounds of
skin/fat removed can make!I have "NO" dog ears! Of coourse, at
1st will have those, but around week 3-4 they were flat. Thanks to a great
PS I walked out from my surgery w/o as much as any swelling. I walked in
wearing 4's and walked out in those. Two weeks later I was in 2's.
I love my flat tummy and great looking belly button. I'm wearing 2 piece
bathing suits to my water aerobic classes daily and loving it.
Had the stomach muscles tightened and they are still really tight. Still
cannot do situps or ab exercises in the gym. May I add I'm so happy my PS
talked me into getting those done. Like he said...Why not have the best
looking stomach you can while I'm working in that area anyway? He demanded
I do it. Thank Goodness I did. It looks like I do 100 situps daily w/o
doing any. lol
Oh, I'm 54 years old and 5'4".
Good Luck!
— Hazel S.
July 8, 2004
I had a TT done last year and made a comment about "doggie ears' to my
PS. His response was "you DONT get doggie ears if the surgeon has
done his job well and spent the time to prevent them". needless to
say I DIDNT get any doggie ears
— star .
July 8, 2004
I think it depends on the person as well as the surgeon. I had overhang
the entire way around my body. I chose an LBL since there really wasn't a
good place to "stop" with a TT that wouldn't have looked odd with
the remaining flap around the back. If you don't have that problem, then I
would think the surgeon could perform a TT without dog ears. I had a
little pucker on one side with my breast lift that the PS said she would
fix in the office if it didn't go away. It's still there a bit, but it's
not bad enough to be bothered getting it fixed :)
— mom2jtx3
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