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Will I have a big scar on my stomach after my tubal ligation reversal?
No. Because we use a minilaparotomy technique to do your tubal reversal, the incision is about as wide as a playing card. For most patients, the incision is just above the pubic hair line. If you have had a previous cesarean section we will probably use the middle portion of it for your tubal reversal.
One advantage of using head mounted loupes, magnifying devices, the incision in your lower abdomen can be smaller and a smaller incision means less pain after your tubal ligation reversal and a smaller scar.
If you ask around, you will find those that say a microscope is better for tubal reversal, but I don’t think that’s true. The microscope does not move with the surgeon’s head so the incision in your abdomen has to be wider to let the surgeon doing the tubal reversal can see what he or she is doing and that means more pain after your tubal reversal, sometimes a hospital stay and always a wider scar. Not everyone can use loupes because you have to hold your head very still for a long time. Those that can, do.
One little thing that we do, we feel helps a lot with the final appearance of the scar. We bury the suture that holds the skin together under the skin. There are no clips to remove or sutures to cut out after your reversal.
After your tubal ligation reversal, before you go home, we will tell you the things you need to do to take care of your incision and minimize your scar. The fact that we do not use self retaining retractors, we feel, minimizes adhesions under the skin and discomfort in the scar after our tubal reversals. No one really knows, but gentle and minimally invasive surgical technique probably does more to improve comfort and scar appearance than anything else.
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"Studies show that with proper microsurgical technique during tubal ligation reversal, the tubes are open again upwards of 90% of the time."
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