Hi, Elephant!
Thanks for the response. Actually, my many staple holes have gone away, though I still have the vertical scar and the four "port-hole" puncture wounds (which at this point look like [oddly-aligned] mosquito bites).
None of this bothers me at all, except, come to think of it, I have to remember not to go swimming in front of my parents or brother, who know nothing of my surgery.
Be well, Snoopy