Breast Lift Absorbable Suture for Less Visible Scarring?

Thank you for the question. Unfortunately, there is no specific absorbable suture that leaves less scarring after mastopexy surgery. Sometimes, despite surgeons best efforts, patients to develop wide scars ( hypertrophic or keloid). these may be related to factors beyond surgeon control such as genetics, ethnicity, or patient specific propensity for heavy scarring. Fortunately most patients (If properly selected and who are doing the operations and the right time of their... more

Absorbable sutures do not create less of a scar than sutures that are removed.  Anytime the skin is cut, a scar develops.

  There are many important factors to consider when trying to minimize the scarring after a breast lift. The amount and quality of scars that you will have is determined by the way your skin heals, by the surgical technique that is used, and lastly by the suture. It is more important to ensure that your skin is closed with no extra tension as the extra tension can make the scar widened or heal thickly. Avoid breast lift techniques that only depend on the skin to maintain the... more

Hi. In New York City, we never use an anchor scar for a breast lift.  The Lejour technique is best, because it shapes the breast from the inside (long term result), and leaves only a lollipop scar. To answer your question, absorbable stitches are good for best scars.

Unless you have extremely sagging breasts, there is probably no reason why you should need an anchor type scar mastopexy. Newer concepts and designs can probably obviate the need for the inframammary scar on the inner portion (medial) of the breasts (i.e. short inframammary scar technique) and even the entire inframammary scar (i.e. vertical mastopexy pattern). I have not needed to use the anchor pattern for over 15 years. I would ask your surgeon why he needs to use that incision and... more

All of us are committed to minimizing scars in anchor mastopexy procedures. If you heal without an infection or wound separation, then the determinant factors are more likely to be genetics than what type of suture was used. We recommend scar solutions or scar silicone sheeting on all patients as soon as the wound is completely healed. Wounds take 1 full year for the scar to mature so don't get discouraged early on.

Plastic surgery has advanced tremendously. We know how scars heal and what we can do to make them better. All plastic surgeons use absorbable sutures and meticulous technique to improve scarring. However, there is no new suture which reduces scarring anymore than other sutures at this point.

Dear Patty, If we knew that there was one suture which resulted in less scaring than any other, all of us would use it on every patient. Everyone heals differently as a matter of genetics. The surgeon can do certain things to improve the scar (minimize tension, be gentle with tissues, etc), and there are some things the patient can do to help as well. At a minimum, I recommend patients use scar creams, and if they are showing tendencies to scar hypertrophy, I then suggest silicon... more