How many months after surgery are the post-operative photographs taken?

It is stated case by case. Generally the useful images are those from three to twelve months: before that, swelling is still present and scars are redder and more raised than they will eventually be.

Did the people consent to publication?

Yes. Every image is published under written consent specific to publication, separate from consent to surgery and revocable at any time.

Why are faces not shown?

Because they are not needed, and because a patient's photograph is health data. The images are cropped to the abdominal region and identifying features are masked.

Will the scar stay as it looks in the images?

In most cases it continues to improve. A scar matures over twelve to eighteen months, changing in color and in how raised it is. Site, tension, genetics, smoking and sun protection all play a part.

Can I see other cases similar to mine?

Yes, at the consultation. I show documentation of cases comparable to your situation, including images of partial outcomes: they help you understand the real limits of what is achievable.

Documented cases

Results

Name: Results: before and after images, documented
Creator: Federico Fiori

This page collects pre- and postoperative images of cases I have operated on: rectus diastasis, abdominal wall hernias, incisional hernias, abdominoplasties and complex reconstructions. Each case states the technique used and how many months after surgery the photograph was taken. The images are published with the specific written consent of the people concerned, show no recognizable faces, and do not constitute a prediction of the outcome in other cases.

The images document; they do not promise: the same technique on two different people produces two different outcomes.

How to read these images

These photographs are clinical documentation, not advertising for a result. The timing of the follow-up changes everything: in the first months postoperative swelling is still present and scars are more visible than they will eventually be. The shape of the abdomen also depends on the starting point, on weight, on tissue quality and on how closely the recovery program is followed. No image can tell you what outcome is achievable in your case: that is established at the consultation, through clinical examination and imaging.

The clinical before/after photographs are published only on the surgeon's own site, with the specific written consent of each patient and without recognizable faces.

When you look at a result, read it carefully: a photograph documents one person's outcome at a given follow-up. The same technique on two different people gives two different results, because skin, fat, muscle tone and the width of the diastasis differ. Judge the definitive result at six to twelve months, not in the first weeks.

See diastasis results All documented cases

Your case is different from every case you see here

These images show how I reason. The answer about your case comes from the consultation: clinical examination, dynamic ultrasound and, when needed, CT.

Contact

Why I publish pre and post-operative images

Because anyone deciding whether to have surgery wants to see, not just read. A photograph shows in an instant what changes and what does not, and it lets you come to your consultation with sharper questions. I publish these images under a rule that never changes: always with the person's written consent, always without recognizable faces, always stating the technique and the follow-up interval.

What a photograph can and cannot say

It can show the profile of the abdomen, the reduction in bulging, the position and appearance of the scars, and symmetry. It cannot show the strength of the repair, the restoration of the midline, core function, or pain. For those you need dynamic ultrasound, CT when indicated, and functional testing: these are the tools with which I actually verify the result, and they are the same ones I use to decide whether and how to operate.

Why two similar abdomens give different results

The starting point: size of the defect, number of previous operations, skin quality;
Weight and how stable it stays over time: significant weight gain after surgery changes the contour;
Smoking, blood glucose and nutritional status, which affect wound healing;
How closely the recovery program is followed, in particular abdominal wall rehabilitation;
Time: the definitive result is judged at six to twelve months, not at three weeks.

Every published image is covered by specific written consent, separate from the consent to surgery and revocable at any time: if someone changes their mind, the image is removed. The photographs are stripped of file metadata, contain no recognizable faces, and identifying features such as tattoos or distinctive moles are masked.

Updated: 1 July 2026Content by Dr. Federico Fiori · Read the full curriculum

Frequently asked questions about results

No, and they should not be read that way. They document what was achieved in that specific case, with that technique and from that starting point. The result achievable in your case is established at the consultation, with clinical examination and imaging.