The vertical cesarean section scar is the one that goes from the navel to the pubis. It is an unaesthetic scar, which goes against the lines of tension and has a great tendency to become umbilicated. Nowadays, the vast majority of cesarean sections are performed horizontally at the level of the pubis, but a few years ago this type of scar was common in emergency surgeries with risk to the life of the fetus. How can we fix this type of scar?
Many patients with this type of umbilicate scar ask us if we can “redo” the scar so that it is not sunken. Unfortunately, redoing the scar only makes the problem worse, creating more fibrosis and more sinking making the scar more visible. The only technique to permanently eliminate the vertical scar is to do an abdominoplasty that allows us to remove all the skin from the pubis to the navel and create a horizontal scar that is hidden under underwear. After a pregnancy, the vast majority of women have excess skin in the abdominal region, so we not only fix the scar but also improve the waist and also correct the separation of the rectus abdominis muscles (diastasis).
SUMMARY
- The vertical cesarean section scar tends to umbilicate.
- “Redoing” the scar does not serve to correct the sinking.
- The only way to definitively correct the deformity is to perform an abdominoplasty.