Will I Have Breast Lift Scars After 12 Months
Once youve seen what breast lift surgery can do for a womans figure, its easy to understand that the resulting scars are rather less important.
Still, many patients are concerned about having raised or darkened lines on their breasts as a result of surgery, and this is understandable. Most notably, many patients want to know what they can expect as time goes on after their procedure.
Will I have breast lift scars after 12 months? is a common question in this regard.
The short answer is: Yes. All surgeries that require incisions result in scarring. After 12 months, scars will still be there. And, really, theyll always be there. But they will fade with time.
For most patients, the best way to reduce the appearance of scars after a breast lift is simply to follow your aftercare instructions diligently during recovery. Unfortunately, those who do not do this often end up with the most significant scars.
Now, lets take a look at some details regarding what you can expect from your scarring around one year after your breast lift.
Does Breast Surgery Leave A Scar
Yes, the nature of the scarring will depend on the technique that is used by the surgeon. Surgeons use different incision techniques for different procedures and patient requirements.
Scarring can be red, raised and tender in the first week following surgery but most will fade and become paler over time during your recovery. Patients will attend a post-operative appointment with their MYA nurse to change any dressings and ensure scars are healing well. The scars will continue to heal up to 6 weeks post-op and fading can take up to a year. Scarring will never completely disappear but will likely be unnoticeable. The rate and extent to which the scars heal and fade are variable and differ from person to person, external factors such as diet, smoking, drinking alcohol, and UVA exposure can also affect the speed of recovery and final outcome.
How Long Does It Take For Breast Lift Incisions To Heal
Rapid and significant weight loss, pregnancy, nursing, gravity, and the natural aging process are just a few of the many things that can impact the look and positioning of your breasts. The good news is that surgical breast lift procedures can give your bust a far more youthful appearance overall. These treatments are designed to restore sagging, low-hanging breasts to a high, upright position. Best of all, for those seeking to maintain their current breast sizes, these improvements can be attained without the addition of implants. These increasingly popular procedures allow women to regain their confidence and obtain their ideal physiques. They also enable patients to feel good about how they look in form-fitting and cleavage-bearing garments and in the nude. Before scheduling a breast lift procedure, however, its best to learn more about the expected healing process. Following are some very important things to know about breast lift incisions and the related road to recovery.
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The Importance Of Post
The appearance of breast lift scars can change drastically based on your level of post-surgery care. If you are judicious about sunscreen application, you are on the right track to having barely visible scars. Direct sun exposure will make your breast lift scars more visible, so anytime you are outside and your breasts are somewhat exposed, make sure to apply plenty of sunscreen. You also want to massage the scar, helping to reduce discomfort and inflammation while also increasing collagen fibers. Finally, you will likely want to apply some kind of scar gel or ointment. This will help your skin heal and reduce the appearance of breast lift scars.
Following surgery, your plastic surgeon should make it very clear precisely what your post-surgery care will consist of to minimize scarring. In the future, you may also choose to undergo laser skin resurfacing to further reduce the appearance of the scar.
Additional Things You Can Do To Expedite The Healing Process
Small tubes may be inserted into the openings to promote proper drainage as your body recovers. Our professionals will give you detailed instructions on cleaning and caring for your openings, and for preventing post-treatment infections. This is known as wound care, and it generally involves simple dressing changes. In many instances, antibiotics may be prescribed as a precautionary measure. These should be taken according to the recommended dosing schedule and until the entire course is complete. Patients are also advised to wear compression garments or special support bras in the weeks that follow their procedures. These garments will give the breasts ample support during the recovery process.
It is important for breast lift patients to have plenty of support at home during their recovery efforts. If you are responsible for caring for small pets and minor children, you may need to share these responsibilities with others during the formative stages of healing. You can also expect some discomfort when lifting your arms above your head and engaging in any other challenging activities. This soreness will persist throughout the days that follow your procedure. Due to this fact, it is additionally advisable to have a friend or family member on hand who can assist with basic, personal care tasks throughout this time.
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Postoperative Care Tips That Will Minimise Breast Lift Scars
Undergo a laser treatment. When the wound heals completely, you can treat the scar with a fractionated laser. It will reach into the outermost and middle layers of the skin and purposely damage the cells to stimulate tissue regrowth. Note that you will need to schedule more than one session to obtain maximum results.
Limit sun exposure. Make sure to wear appropriate clothing and hats to keep the UVA and UVB rays away from your skin. On that note, it is strongly recommended to apply sunscreen of at least 30 SPF.
Opt for scar gels and sheets. Bandages that contain silicone will help prevent your skin from over-drying. They hydrate the incisions and can also reduce pain and itchiness post-surgery. As for gels, they help minimise the appearance of scars. You should apply them on the daily once the incisions heal. It goes without saying that these things require a consistent approach.
Massage the scar area using circular motions. You want to go both ways: vertically and horizontally. This will increase collagen and minimise pain and inflammation. You can start doing this two weeks after the breast lift. Needless to say, dont apply pressure, be gentle on yourself.
Stick with embrace dressings. They contain silicone too and should be placed over the treatment area right after the incisions are closed. The dressing will help keep the edges of the wound together, which will reduce the possibility of scar tissue build-up. You can wear one of these every day for up to a year.
Do Breast Augmentation Or Reduction Scars Go Away
Scars will never fade completely. However, some scars can be so light and thin that they appear almost invisible. This will usually depend on whether or not you are prone to highly visible scarring. You can assess this by looking at existing scars on your body.
The biggest influence on any potential scars from breast implants or scars after breast reduction is the experience and skill of the plastic surgeon. Before you choose a surgeon, make sure you ask to see detailed case studies of previous patients and also ask about what the potential breast reduction or breast enlargement scars may look like. In many cases, a skilled surgeon will be able to leave scars that become barely visible over time.
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How Do I Look After My Scars Post
Following any cosmetic surgery procedure, it is vital that you adhere to MYAs pre and post-op care instructions provided by your surgeon and clinical team. These can be found in your patient portal to refer back to. Wound care is an essential part of your recovery, and wound healing varies from patient to patient, and even from one part of the body to another, therefore, you must follow the clinical guidance provided to you.
Key factors that benefit wound care and recovery:
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Having a healthy, balanced diet, rich in nutrients and protein, helps the body to recover and repair and encourages wound healing.
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Washing your hands before and after touching your scar and any associated wound dressings.
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Abstaining from alcohol for 2 weeks post-op. Drinking alcohol can result in delayed wound healing.
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Waiting till your clinical team advises it is safe to do so, before applying any creams, bio oil or skin products to your scars.
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Not using sunbeds avoiding the direct sunlight and covering your scars with sunblock.
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Patients are required to stop smoking 4 weeks prior to surgery and 2 weeks following surgery. Nicotine can hinder your cosmetic surgery results we recommend remaining nicotine-free until you are fully healed to achieve the best possible results.
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Abstaining from recreational drugs.
Follow the instructions your MYA surgeon and nurse give you about how to care for your wounds after surgery.
What Do Breast Lift Scars Look Like
Breast lift surgery scars are very thin, like a fine pencil or pen line, as incisions are made carefully to avoid as much scarring as possible. Early after the incisions heal, scars may be temporarily raised and may look red or pink. Over time, they will both fade to a lighter or white color and flatten, becoming less and less noticeable. Dr. Novo can show you before-and-after photos to get a sense of how breast lift scars look at various healing stages.
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What Are Breast Lift Keloid Scars
Keloid scarring is an undesirable outcome of breast lift surgery. These scars are noticeably raised and thick and tend to take on a disorderly pattern. Keloids are caused by an excess production of collagen during the healing process. Patients with darker skin may be at a higher risk for developing keloid scars.
Silicone Sheets Or Scar Gels
For an OTC remedy, you might consider silicone sheets or scar gels.
Silicone sheets are silicone-containing bandages that help hydrate recent incisions. In theory, this helps prevent overdrying and excessive scar tissue. These bandages may be used to reduce itchiness and pain right after surgery. You can continue use until the incisions heal.
Scar gels, on the other hand, are silicone-based OTC products that dont have bandages with them. You use these after the incisions heal, and for several weeks afterward. The main purpose is to reduce the size and coloring of the scars.
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Is There A Way To Avoid Scars
Unfortunately, with surgical interventions, its difficult not to leave a mark. However, technology is so advanced that the scarring is almost non-existent. The best way to ensure that everything goes smoothly is to find a surgeon in your area who is trained, experienced, and qualified. Remember that this is an invasive surgical procedure that could put your life at risk if not executed by an expert.
Breast Augmentation Scar Healing Timeline
The rate at which scars heal varies greatly from person to person. However, as a general rule, if you avoid straining yourself and exercise proper aftercare, they will flatten out and fade from red to pink after about 23 months. After 612 months, your scars will be completely healed. At this stage, they will be very thin and faint.
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What Will The Scarring Look Like
Incisions made during cosmetic surgery are usually thin. Shortly after the wounds heal, you may be left with a red, raised line along the edges of the incision. Over time, the scar color should fade to pink and then to white. They should also flatten out in texture. This scar lightening will take several months up to a year after surgery.
Scarring tends to be most visible in people with extremely dark or light skin. The scars may also become more noticeable if theyre subject to direct sun exposure. Be sure to wear sunscreen every day.
Breast lifts that involve incisions around the areola are perhaps the easiest to conceal. You wont see these scars even if youre wearing a bikini top. Most breast lift scars are easily concealed with low-cut tops, too.
As a rule of thumb, horizontal scars made along the breast crease are usually less noticeable than incisions made vertically along the breasts.
As the healing process continues, your scars will inevitably change over time. With proper care, they should continue to fade and flatten.
Its also important to avoid behaviors that can make breast lift scars worse. Avoid the following:
- Excessive exfoliation or scrubbing. This is especially the case as the wound is healing.
- Heavy lifting. Avoid heavy lifting in the first six weeks postsurgery.
- Scratching the incisions.
Avoid Exercise And Exertion
For at least the first week after surgery, its important to avoid all kinds of exercise and exertion. Anything that might put stress or pressure on the scar should be avoided. Once your surgeon says its okay, you can gradually start to exercise again. Most people can resume their normal routine around six weeks after surgery.
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Types Of Scarring After Surgery
There are essentially three distinct sorts of breast lift scars that might arise after surgery:
- Keloid: This scarring would only occur after a procedure that did an abnormally large amount of harm to the skin. In some people, the skin will become red, elevated, and slightly waxy after even minor surgeries and wounds, known as keloid scarring.
- Atrophic: Scarring from an atrophic wound, as opposed to a keloid scar, atrophic scar is characterized by a depressed appearance on the skins surface. Redness and depression on the skin surface are the end outcomes of this condition, which is sometimes misunderstood as hyperpigmentation.
- Hypertrophic: Hypertrophic scarring, like keloid scarring, causes a raised, discolored patch of skin. They are not as elevated as much as keloid scars do.
The Size Of The Scar Depends On The Surgical Technique
While breast lift is the common vernacular used to describe the procedure, there are actually many different types of surgeries that fall under the breast lift label. Therefore, the appearance of your breast lift scars will depend on the type of surgical technique your surgeon chooses. Your surgeon will decide on their surgical approach after a detailed consultation, in which they will inspect your breasts and listen to your goals for the procedure. Below are some of the most popular breast lift surgical techniques, as well as what the breast lift scars will look like for each.
The crescent lift is the surgical technique that will result in the least amount of scarring. This breast lift technique requires only one small incision, made near the top edge of the areola. That means there will only be one small scar following the surgery. However, this surgery is only for women with minimal sagging and is usually performed in conjunction with breast augmentation.
One the other end of the spectrum is the anchor lift, the technique that is favored for women with significant sagging. Since the anchor lift is the most extensive type of breast lift surgery, it will result in the most breast lift scars of any breast lift technique.
The middle ground between a crescent lift and anchor lift, the donut lift has only one incision made during the procedure however, the incision is bigger, tracing a circle around the areola and will be more noticeable due to its size.
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Tension Is The Leading Cause Of Scarring
Precise tension reduction is vital in avoiding scar tissue buildup, and you may still be using silicone sheet bandages to gently hold both sides of your incisions together. Check with Dr. Landis, who may approve using an OTC product, Embrace® Breast Lift Kit, that includes silicone-coated Stress-Shields to protect scars, especially during showers and exercise. You could be able to wear these for up to a year.
You can begin using the various solutions weeks after your sutures have come out, but you can begin as late as six months after the procedure. Delaying will reduce their effectiveness, however.
For the first few months, wear a support bra, but not an underwire bra. Ask Dr. Landis for recommendations.
When Will The Wounds From A Breast Lift Be Entirely Healed
Within the first two weeks following your breast lift scars healing process, your wounds should begin to close and heal, if you keep the area clean and avoid submerging the incisions. When the wounds have healed completely, the breast lift scars after one year will gradually change from red to pink and eventually to flesh color. Although we said this could take a year or more, most patients see dramatic changes in their scars within the first few months after the breast lift scar healed. You may speed up the healing process and minimize the appearance of your healed one-year breast lift scars, by following these tips:
- Make sure your skin stays hydrated
- Ensure to apply topical treatments as directed
- After surgery, avoid any strenuous exercise for at least six weeks
- Always show up for your scheduled follow-ups
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How Long Do Breast Surgery Scars Last
Scars can take up to 12 months to fade away. While you can improve their appearance, you will not be able to rid them completely.
What helps to reduce surgical scars?
- Start treatment as early as possible! Dr Doyle recommends Strataderm silicone scar gel for breast surgery scars.
- Avoid any activity that could cause friction on the wound site .
- Dont scratch your scar even if it is itchy!
- Use a sunscreen or zinc cream when outdoors
