Permanent breast lift scars are an inevitable part of having a breast lift to achieve higher, firmer, beautifully shaped breasts. Fortunately, although permanent, these scars may fade out to become thin white lines over time. (We’ve had a few women, in their later follow-up visits, refer to their old breast lift scars as “seams.”) Another fortunate detail is that your scars should be completely hidden beneath a low cut top or bikini top.
Still, even though most women will enjoy a successful breast lift and rate their experience well worthwhile–scars are just not desirable. You are right to be concerned about scarring and should not choose a surgeon who glosses over your concern.
Luckily, there are steps you can take to minimize your well-hidden breast lift scars. Follow our ten tips to prevent excess breast lift scarring–and you’ll improve your breast lift experience, and your outcome, immensely. Let’s start with the top 3:
1. Find the Best Breast Lift Surgeon
This may sound like a familiar refrain, but it’s so important to your breast lift outcome, including minimal scarring after the procedure. Of course you’ll be selecting a board-certified plastic surgeon to perform your breast lift surgery—so you can expect great attention paid to producing minimal scars. But all plastic surgeons are not created equal. You need to have experience and dedication on your side, in order to undergo breast lift surgery with minimal scarring.
Verifying your NJ breast lift surgeon’s qualifications, licensure, technical/surgical expertise, years of experience and focus on breast surgery will help ensure you get the best breast lift results, including the least possible scarring after your breast lift. You must go further, however, to ensure an optimal result from your breast lift procedure. Meet with your surgeon to evaluate how well you communicate with one another.
2. Choose the Right Surgeon for You
Make sure your ideas about beauty are similar (through discussion and viewing before-and-after photos) and ensure your breast lift goals are clear and shared. If you have one goal that you want for your breast lift outcome, and your surgeon has a different goal, you will be disappointed with your outcome.
Make sure your surgeon acknowledges that the result you want is feasible, and makes a plan to achieve it. Listen to the outline your surgeon presents detailing his or her surgical solution for your breast lift–and make sure you understand what will occur.
Your pre-breast-lift consultation will include discussion of risks and scarring. Bring up your concerns about scarring. Ask your NJ breast surgeon if patients of similar ethnic background, age and medical history have shown a tendency to scar more readily than normal. You may already know if you have an abnormal tendency to scar—be sure to alert your surgeon about this. Some excessive scarring issues include:
- Hypertrophic scarring (raised pinkish or red scars)
- Keloid formation (raised fibrous scars, red or dark flesh-colored)
- Post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (brown scars)
Ask how your NJ breast specialist takes steps to minimize scarring and learn what the surgical techniques are. This will help you go into your surgery confidently.
3. Communicate with Your NJ Plastic Surgeon Throughout the Healing Process
Remember that the healing process–and the evolution of breast lift scars–can take up to a year or more, especially if you have had breast implants or a breast reduction along with your breast lift. Your scars should look better and better every day, as will your “new” breasts, but you can’t significantly rush the way your unique body heals. Some swelling will persist for up to a year and although incisions are healed, scars will continue to diminish over the rest of your life.
4. Get Expert Advice on What Procedure is Best For You
Tell your surgeon you plan to be proactive to limit your breast lift scarring, and get expert advice tailored to your physical makeup. Since you’ve chosen a talented NJ plastic surgeon that you trust, s/he will use suturing techniques that are designed to distribute and diminish excess pressure on your healing skin and the soft tissues below.
5. Follow all pre- and Post-Breast Lift Instructions From Your Surgeon.
Both sets of instructions are equally important to a successful breast lift with minimal scars. Pre- and post-surgery instructions, for example, will include not smoking and may include refraining from taking certain OTC (over the counter) or prescription medications. If you ignore this advice—or forget—you could increase your tendency to form excess scar tissue and interfere with your speedy healing process. All these directives minimize scars from a breast lift by:
- Limiting pressure on incisions
- Keeping your blood pressure normal
- Avoiding blood thinners that could encourage bleeding
- Preventing sun exposure to healing scars/incisions
6. Make Sure Your Incisions are Clean
Keep incisions clean and contact your surgeon immediately if you suspect infection or if you have any concern about your developing breast lift scars between your follow-up visits. A dedicated NJ breast lift surgeon will have you come in, if she or he needs to evaluate a potential problem further. Communicate with your surgeon if you notice signs of infection between followup visits, such as pain, excess bleeding, increasing swelling, pus, fever, feeling unwell, etc., to be sure you are progressing normally in your scar-healing process. Never apply ointments or products to incisions/scars without checking with your surgeon.
7. Be Patient.
Be good to yourself and take it easy. Your scars will look red and unattractive for at least a few weeks after surgery.
8. Use Herbal Products
Consider herbal products/supplements and silicone sheeting, including arnica and bromelain, to enhance your healing process. They are intended to limit swelling and bruising, and this will in turn help reduce scarring after a breast lift. After all, swelling puts pressure on your healing incisions and contributes to the way your breast lift scars will appear. With too much pressure, breast lift scars can widen. Silicone sheeting placed on incisions, after surgical tape falls off or is removed by your surgeon, can help minimize scars from a breast lift.
9. Avoid Putting Pressure on Your Healing Incisions
Don’t rush going back to work or to doing daily activities that use the arms and upper torso and risk stretching the skin and soft tissues of the chest area. At first, you should not even lift anything or bend over—get your surgeon’s ok before you return to any activity or exercise after your breast lift. Taking care to follow recommendations will help your breast lift scars heal well and be the least noticeable long term.
10. Laser Treatments and Cortisone Injections
Your NJ plastic surgeon may use corticosteroid injections as you heal from your breast lift scars, to soften and shrink the scars, and diminish lumpiness. If breast lift scars are still concerning to you after a year, ask your surgeon for advice. In some cases, laser procedures can smooth scars and improve their appearance.
