Interesting Thread on "Doggie Ears"

I saw a darling lady today who was 645lbs now 320lbs !! 

Explained to her about dog ears and after I told her I would be removing 25-35lbs of  from her tummy alone  she said "No way doc, those will be elephant ears!" 

Interesting topic addressed by several docs here:

http://www.realself.com/question/predicting-correcting-dog-e ars

I lost 93lb before plastics and all of my extra skin was in my tummy.  I had very significant dog ears and thought OMG, how would that ever look normal?  Well, 2.5 months out, they're pretty much gone and have laid down!  So they  may not even need to be fixed.  Mine even seeped more so than other place, but healed just fine with no infections.

Dr. LoManco, What do you recommend for the dog ears?? I have had some doctors saying a hip
 lift.             is needed while a few others have said an extended tummy tuck. What do you usually do on women with the lumps on each side of the tummy in the love handle area.  I had a tummy tuck about four years ago and have this ugly bulge on each side of my tummy.  Thanks

Hi Gail. It really depends on how much excess skin you do have. Individuals who have a circumferential excess of skin need a circumferential removal of skin. 

For those who carried a lot of hipe and or buttock fat and have now lost it, that could mean a lower body lift. otherwise an extended TT may get it.

It's like trying to make up half a bed...there is always going to be wrinkles or pleats where the smooth and tight meets the loose area.

I had minor dog ears after my tummy tuck and I told my surgeon that I was ok with him extending the scar well into my hip area to take care of them. He kind of explained it as trying to decide just how far he needed to "chase" the scar to get the best results. Some women want sucha short scar and I think that often times leads to the dog ear.

I agree Gail.

From my RealSelf posting:

"A longer incision plus arranging the skin properly during closure usually helps prevent them, but not always.  I have found that struggling with them during surgery (when you are lying on them and the skin is bunched up) can result in odd dips, dents, and other issues at the end of the incision. 

In those cases I'd rather leave them and watch them shrink over 3-6 months, and fix them as a simple procedure under local anesthesia in the office later where I can make a preciatble scar."

I have no dog ears from my tummy tuck and thigh lift but significant ones from my bilateral mastectomy from 7 years ago.  they look really odd with my weight loss and newly reconstructed implants.  My PS is planning on fixing them when I go in for my brachioplasty - when I can afford the brachioplasty.