Are Vicryl Sutures Common for Anchor Mastopexy?

Thank you for the question. Yes, vicryl is one of the common sutures used for mastopexy surgery. It is a soft, absorbable suture it generally does very well; it does occasionally “spit” causing a temporary problem at the skin surface ( discharge, redness…). Monocryl is a monofilament absorbable suture that is also commonly used. Generally, although many patients and surgeons spend a lot of time talking about specific suture type,... more

There are many different types of sutures to use in surgery. Vicryl is just one of them.  I tend to use more monocryl myself.

  Vicryl is a strong suture that is braided and resorbable. It is commonly used by general surgeons and for uses deep in the body. When Vicryl is used on the skin you can experience problems such as the skin breaking down and the suture working its way out. This is one reason why surgeons avoid Vicryl and use other sutures that do not cause these types of problems. If you're concerned with this, discuss this with your plastic surgeon and ask him or her if there are other... more

Over the years, if you laid end to end all of the vicryl suture I have used to close breast incisions, I am sure it would go to the moon and back.  Except for the occasional spiting in areas of thin skin, the suture has been a workhorse for me and works beautifully.

Hi! This is a pretty technical small point that you are asking about, so I wonder what you really are trying to find out. Make sure you trust your surgeon! To answer your question, we need a suture that dissolves in a few weeks. Vicryl does that job well, except right under the skin. It can tend to work its way out through the skin, so here we use another suture like Monocryl which doesn't cause this reaction.

Vicryl is often used for all kinds of breast procedures. It is a widely used absorbable suture. Another suture, called monocryl, is also often used. There are other sutures as well. All work fine. The choice of suture is mainly surgeon dependent. Honestly, the type of suture used has minimal influence on the outcome of the result. It really doesn't matter. What matters is the surgeon. A good surgeon is good because they use the instruments, materials, sutures and techniques in the best... more

Suture choice for skin closure really depends on the preference of your surgeon. Most of us use absorbable sutures for long skin closures (tummy tuck, anchor breast lift, etc) and vicryl is a reasonable choice. It ties nicely and is soft. I prefer monocryl, which is a monofilament suture. I think it "spits" less (sometimes sutures find their way to the skin surface before they are absorbed) than vicryl, but it is more palpable while it is intact. (ie: if you feel along the... more

Patty, I assume the reason you are asking is that you had issues with such sutures. The past majority of Plastic surgeons use either Vicryl (treated or not), PDS or Monocryl sutures. All three sutures are dissolving, nonpermanent sutures. While Vicryl ties best, it has a higher "spitting rate" (when superficial, the knots are sometimes exposed and can be easily removed). The other two sutures are smooth, tie less well and have slightly more palpable knots but have less spitting... more