Tummy Tuck Scar Care: What to Use and When
Quick summary
A tummy tuck scar is permanent. It usually sits low across the abdomen and runs close to hip to hip, often with a second scar around the navel, and it takes roughly 12 to 18 months to settle from red and firm to pale and flat.
Nothing you apply at home removes it. Silicone gel, silicone sheets and paper tape are the three at-home options with any real support behind them, and the research suggests they perform much the same. So the choice comes down to what you will realistically keep doing, twice a day, on a scar that long.
At Genova Skincare we make one of those gels, so read what follows as a comparison with our product in it rather than a neutral survey. Australian prices were checked on 17 September 2026. Results vary from person to person.
30ml, silicone gel with VANISTRYL peptide and Ecoskin Probiotic. Dries clear in about 30 seconds and sits under clothing, compression garments and sunscreen. Made in Australia.
What a tummy tuck scar looks like at each stage after 45
The first few weeks are the worst it will look. The line is red or purple, firm to touch, sometimes slightly bunched at the ends, and it can feel tight when you stand up straight. That is normal and it is not a sign anything has gone wrong.
By around three months the line softens and the colour starts to drop. Between six and twelve months it flattens and pales noticeably. Australian plastic surgeons generally describe scar remodelling as continuing for up to two years, and research in Seminars in Plastic Surgery puts scar maturation at roughly 12 to 18 months.
Two things make an abdominoplasty scar different. It is long, and it sits on skin that moves every time you sit, stand or cough. Women who come to Genova Skincare after significant weight loss often have a longer scar again, sometimes with a vertical section, because more loose skin had to be removed.
Skin also repairs more slowly as estrogen falls through perimenopause and menopause. That may be part of why a scar stays pink longer after 45 than it did at 25, which makes finishing a full course matter more.
When to start putting anything on a tummy tuck scar
Not until the incision is fully closed. That normally means after your sutures or staples are out, with no scabs, no gaps, no weeping and no redness spreading outward. For most women that is somewhere around two to four weeks, but your surgeon sets the date, not a blog.
Starting too early is the common mistake. Silicone needs intact skin to form its film on, and covering a wound that has not sealed carries real risk. If you are unsure, ask at your follow-up.
Once you do start, earlier is better than later. We cover the reasoning in more detail in our guide to when to start scar gel after surgery.
Tummy tuck scar options compared: gel, tape, sheets and massage
Here is the honest field, including the options we do not sell. Prices are Australian and checked on 17 September 2026.
| Option | What it does | Cost in Australia | Best suited to | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silicone gel | Dries into a thin film that holds water in the upper skin layers | $25.99 for 5g (Strataderm) to $52.95 for 30ml (Genova) | Long scars, scars that move, wearing clothes or compression over the top | Twice a day for months. Small tubes run out fast on a long scar |
| Silicone sheets | Same film, plus light constant pressure | Roughly $30 to $70 per sheet, reusable | Short, flat, low-movement scars | Hard to keep stuck along a hip-to-hip line, and visible under clothing |
| Paper or micropore tape | Takes tension off the wound edges | About $4.99 a roll at Chemist Warehouse | Anyone on a budget, and scars under obvious pull | The evidence is thinner than for silicone. Adhesive can irritate thin skin |
| Scar massage | May soften a firm or tethered line | Free | Tightness and tethering once fully closed | Does nothing for colour. Never on an unhealed wound |
| Sunscreen | Helps stop a new scar darkening permanently | $15 to $25 | Everyone, if the scar is ever exposed | Not a fading product. It only prevents |
| In-clinic options | Steroid injection, laser or scar revision | Several hundred dollars upward | Raised, thickened or keloid scars | Needs a specialist referral and carries its own risks |
Some of these are worth buying on their own merits. If your scar feels pulled rather than raised, a $4.99 roll of micropore tape is a sensible first thing to try, and we compare silicone scar gel against scar tape in full elsewhere. There is also a gel versus sheets comparison, and a step-by-step scar massage guide.
Compare Genova Silicone Scar Gel →
Why silicone gel suits a long tummy tuck scar on mature skin
A trial published in the Journal of Korean Medical Science compared silicone gel sheets against topical silicone gel on surgical scars. It found no significant difference in results between the two, and gel scored significantly better for convenience. It was a small study of 25 women and men, mostly with head and neck scars, so treat it as a pointer rather than proof.
Convenience is the whole argument on an abdominoplasty scar. A hip-to-hip line is far longer than the 5 to 14 centimetre scars that small silicone tubes are sized for, and sheets are difficult to keep adhered across a curve that bends every time you sit. A gel that dries clear in about 30 seconds goes on under a compression garment without lifting.
The evidence for silicone itself is real but modest. A Cochrane review of silicone gel sheeting found improvements in scar thickness and colour, while the authors described the trials as poor quality and highly susceptible to bias. That is the honest position: silicone is the best-supported thing you can buy without a prescription, and the effect is moderate.
Realistic expectations
Expect a flatter, paler, softer line, not a missing one. Most women see the first visible change somewhere between six and twelve weeks of consistent twice-daily use, and continued improvement over the following months.
Silicone gel cannot shorten the scar, narrow a scar that has stretched sideways, change where your surgeon placed it, or lift a scar that has adhered to the tissue underneath. It also cannot undo pigment that has already set in from sun exposure. Results vary.
How to apply silicone gel to a tummy tuck scar, step by step
- Get your surgeon's clearance first, and check the line is fully closed with no scabs or weeping.
- Wash the area with a plain cleanser and pat it completely dry. Silicone will not set on damp skin.
- Apply a thin layer along the whole scar, including the navel scar if you have one. Thin is correct. A thick layer takes longer to dry and wastes product.
- Wait about 30 seconds until it feels dry, then dress or put your compression garment back on.
- Repeat morning and night. Research in Seminars in Plastic Surgery suggests silicone is worn around 12 hours a day for three to four months.
- Use SPF 30 or higher over the scar any time it might see sun, for 12 to 18 months after surgery. Our guide to layering sunscreen over silicone scar gel explains the order.
Who silicone scar gel suits after a tummy tuck, and who it does not
It may suit you if your incision is fully closed, your scar is red, firm or slightly raised, you want something that sits invisibly under clothing and compression, and you are prepared to apply it twice a day for at least three months.
It is not for you if your wound is still open, weeping or showing signs of infection, if you have a known sensitivity to silicone, or if your scar is thickening and spreading beyond the original incision line. That last one may be a keloid, and the honest answer there is a doctor rather than a tube. We cover the difference in our guide to keloid versus hypertrophic scars.
If loose skin rather than the scar itself is what bothers you, that is a separate problem with separate options, and we have written about loose skin after weight loss in menopause.
Tummy tuck scar questions women over 45 ask most
How long until my tummy tuck scar fades?
Most of the change happens between three and twelve months, with remodelling continuing up to about two years. The scar fades but does not disappear. Our scar fading timelines by type sets out what to expect month by month.
How much silicone gel do I need for a hip-to-hip scar?
More than most people buy. A 5g or 10g tube is sized for a short linear scar and will not cover an abdominoplasty line for a full course. Two 30ml tubes is a more realistic quantity for twelve weeks of twice-daily use.
Can I use silicone gel under a compression garment?
Yes, once it has dried. Give it about 30 seconds so the film has set, then dress as normal. Applying it to damp skin or dressing too quickly is the usual reason it rubs off.
Is scar tape better than gel for a tummy tuck scar?
Neither is clearly better. Tape is far cheaper and takes tension off the wound edges, which matters on an abdominal scar. Gel is easier to keep on a long, moving line and does not irritate thin skin the way adhesive can.
My tummy tuck scar has widened. Will silicone gel narrow it?
No. Silicone gel may help a scar look flatter and paler, but it does not pull a stretched scar back together. A widened scar is a conversation to have with your surgeon about revision.
Is a tummy tuck scar the same as a caesarean scar?
They sit in a similar place but an abdominoplasty scar is usually longer and often comes with a second scar at the navel. The aftercare principles are the same, and our C-section scar care guide covers the shared ground.
If you are a few weeks past surgery and looking at a red line that seems far too obvious to ever settle, that is the normal starting point, not a bad sign. What makes the most difference is not which brand you choose, it is whether you are still applying it in month three. Pick the option you can live with daily, protect it from the sun, and give it the full twelve months before you judge it.
If a gel is the option that fits your scar
Made in Australia, dries clear in about 30 seconds, and sized so a long abdominal scar does not run you out of product in week three.
Genova Silicone Scar Gel
30ml. Silicone gel with VANISTRYL peptide and Ecoskin Probiotic. Sits under compression garments.
12-Week Course (2 Pack)
Two 30ml tubes, about $1.58 per millilitre. The realistic quantity for a hip-to-hip scar.
Made in Australia. Results vary from person to person.
Individual results vary. This is a cosmetic product, not a therapeutic treatment, and it does not remove scars. Do not apply anything to an incision that is not fully closed, and follow your surgeon's instructions on timing. Prices listed were checked on 17 September 2026 and change with promotions and retailer. If your scar is growing, painful, itchy, spreading beyond the original line, or not closing as expected, speak to your GP or your surgeon.
Sources:
- O'Brien L, Jones DJ. Silicone gel sheeting for preventing and treating hypertrophic and keloid scars. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2013, Issue 9. CD003826.
- Kim SM, Choi JS, Lee JH, Kim YJ, Jun YJ. Prevention of postsurgical scars: comparison of efficacy and convenience between silicone gel sheet and topical silicone gel. Journal of Korean Medical Science. 2014;29(Suppl 3):S249-S253.
- Commander SJ, et al. Update on postsurgical scar management. Seminars in Plastic Surgery. 2016;30(3):122-128.
