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Breast Reduction Scars - How to Avoid Scarring?

I am considering a breast reduction. I have breasts that are FF! I am only 23, 5 ft 2, and I weigh about 135 pounds. I have tried to loose weight, but my breast stay large. I have always been self conscious about the way my body looks and would love to have a reduction, but I don't want the ugly scars. Is there any way to have a reduction without large scars? Another concern is my breasts are slightly starting to sag. If I were to leave them this size could they be lifted without scarring?

Asked 34 months ago by jlikes03 in Kansas City, Missouri

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You will have some scars.

Hi! I bet you would be happier with a breast reduction. We now can do it with less scarring. You would need a "lollypop" scar. The scars do fade a lot but they don't disappear. I can tell you that women worry a lot about the scars before surgery, but after surgery, I hardly ever hear about them. They are there alright, but the patient is happy anyway because she feels she made a good trade-off.

George J. Beraka, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast reduction without large scars

Jlikes03: Your research will probably lead you discussion of "scar-less" or "minimal scar" surgery. For years US and international surgeons have trying to develop ways to give patients superior results with little scaring. Alternatives such as liposuction of fat, leaving glandular tissue and skin have been tried. National surveys and informal polls at national meetings confirm that the majority of surgeons feel that short scar techniques (lollipop or vertical plus... more

Sutton Graham II, MD

Greenville Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast Reduction / Breast Lift

Dear jlikes03, The procedure for Reduction/Lifting of the breasts will vary with what you would like to achieve. Some visible scars will result but these can be minimzed with proper surgical approach and pos operative care. Adjunctive treatments with IPL can speed up the reduction of red color of the scar. We use long acting freezing in the tissue which minimizes/eliminates post operative discomfort. With Kind Regards, TMB.

Trevor M. Born, MD

Toronto Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS

Avoiding Scars with Breast Reduction

You have my sympathies in trying to cope with such large breasts. You must be quite uncomfortable, both physically and emotionally. The good news is that you do have options to alleviate the problems your experiencing. Breast reduction can be quite powerful in relieving symptoms and improving self-image. Other than weight loss, there are some very new techniques of fat reduction that use freezing or ultrasound. Their efficacy has not yet been reported in our leading and... more

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Paul C. Zwiebel, MD

Denver Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

The answer for you is “NO.”

The answer for you is “NO,” but there are many things that can be done to minimize the scars. From your question, you are interested in reducing the size of your breasts as well as having them with no “sag.” You can reduce the breasts with Liposuction using only very small scars. The trade, however, is that the breasts will sag in proportion to how much you reduce the breast. To reduce the breast and set it up a minimum of a scar around the areola and one either from... more

Robert T. Buchanan, MD

Highlands Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast reduction without scars

As a double F who is 23 yrs. old with short stature, a reduction/lift would seem to be in order to restore the balence, equiliibrium and harmony of your upper torso to prevent the negative sequellae which are sure to come. A reduction of this magnitude cannot be done without scars. SCAR IS THE BODY'S GLUE, AND THERE CAN BE NO HEALING WITHOUT IT. Once they have done their job, scars can be managed with: patience, pressure and medications. This is the trade off that you will have to make, and... more

Barry H. Dolich, MD

Bronx Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast reductions have options

The two main components of breast reduction is size and shape. If you are only concerned about size/weight, then you can remove fat or even the gland through small incision. But you could shape the breast very well if you have excess skin. The more shaping you desire or need, the more scars you will need. There are a few options using scars that are less than the traditional inverted-T or anchor scars. There may be some compromise in ability to shape. You need to sit down with an experienced... more

Robin T.W. Yuan, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Breast reduction is often possible with shorter scars

Most often in our practice we use a short scar technique in breast reduction and this procedure may work well for your breast reduction. With breast reduction a scar line will be necessary around the nipple. This allows some adjustment of the size of the areola if needed and a lift of the nipple higher up on the breast. After reducing the breast the excess skin is trimmed vertically down to the fold under the breast, what my patients call a "lollipop" scar. The short scar... more

Peter E. Johnson, MD

Des Plaines Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Miricles can happen-

But a breast reduction, especially to reduce you will leave scars. See more than one plastic surgeon, but you will at least have a scar around your nipple, down to the infra-mammary line and usually under the breast. Although these scars are permanent, breast reduction patients are usually quite happy after surgery, in spite of their scars.

William B. Rosenblatt, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Scars following breast reduction

What a wonderful world it would be if we were able to reduce breast size without making any knife cuts! Reality is that there are surgical incisions that have to be made. How well they heal are dependent on several factors: the patient's own healing powers, the skill of the surgeon, the amount of tension across the suture line and the particular surgical technique used for the breast reduction. To reduce the size of the breast the skin envelope as well as the... more

Jonathan Berman, MD

Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast Reduction Scars

Thank you for the question It sounds like you are dealing with breast hypertrophy along with the physical and psychosocial consequences of this diagnosis. In other words, the breasts are too large for the frame causing both physical and psychological distress. It sounds like you have done your homework and understand the potential risk and complications associated with breast reduction surgery, including abnormal scarring. You also understand that further surgery may be... more

Tom J. Pousti, MD

San Diego Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast reduction and scarring

Some of our breast reduction patients are the happiest that we have in the practice. These are the women with significant bra strapping, back and neck pain. If you are going to reduce the size of the breast significantly, you most likely will have scars. Scars are permanent. They end to fade over time. We have our patients keep the scars away from UV light, and have them use scar cream (Hybrisil). Scar revision can be discussed, but usually not before a... more

Jeffrey Roth, MD

Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast Reduction and Scarring

It sounds as though at your height and weight that your breast must be very large on your frame. Although there are descriptions in the literature of using liposuction to reduce breasts without the traditional scars, the patient's breast would have to be largely fat without much breast gland. Most 23 year old breasts have dense breast gland which will not be removed with liposuction, thus incisions are required in order to respect the breast and reduce the breast size. If you know that... more

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Carlin Vickery, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Breast reduction scars

The breast size that you mentioned is quite large. Therefore, your will probably require a breast reduction technique that includes a scar around the nipple and down the lower half of your breast and into the breast fold, that looks like an anchor. It would be best for your to seek a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon to be properly evaluated son an individualized plan to meet your specific needs can be formulated.

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Fredrick A. Valauri, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

The Scars May Be Hard to See

Your photo leads to the certain conclusion that a breast reduction or uplift for you will require scars that encircle the areola and extend down the front of the breast. In many cases, however, careful attention to surgical technique by the surgeon and careful application of silicone tape and limited activities after surgery by yourself can allow for minimally visible scars.

George Sanders, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast Reduction Scars

Breast reduction scars encircle the areola, drop vertically from the areola to the crease beneath the breast, and run horizontally in the crease. The overall shape of the scar resembles an "anchor". Any of these scars may thicken and spread or remain red for many months. We will suture them all meticulously, using the best plastic surgery technique available at the time of surgery. How they eventually will look, however, depends largely on your own... more

Jon Paul Trevisani, MD

Maitland Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Making scars less noticible after breast reduction.

Size of scar will depend on how small you would like your breast size to be. A breast reduction is much different than a breast lift. If you only lift the nipple versus doing a vertical lift, the appearance of the breast may be unattractive depending on your breast shape. If you do get a breast reduction, to reduce the appearance of scarring, you should avoid smoking, tanning and keep a healthy diet. Also apply any ointments given by your surgeon. more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

How to reduce scarring after a breast reduction

Unfortunately, you cannot change the biology of how you heal and form scars. You can do scar massage and use topicals after surgery that will probably help improve the quality of the scars. In my experience, I have found the short scar techniques (ie Lollipop scar) to result in some very impressive (faint) scars. However, if you are a FF cup, you may be too large for a short scar procedure.

Mark D. Epstein, MD

Stony Brook Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast reduction without scars

It looks like you need a significant reduction and lift. This requires removing excess breast tissue and skin. This will leave permanent scars. A vertical lift would leave a lollipop scar around the nipple and then from the bottom of the nipple to the bottom of the breast. Post-op scar management helps the scars fades. I have done a bajillion reductions and have never had a patient who would have traded in their scars for their big, saggy breasts... more

Lisa L. Sowder, MD

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Thank you for the photo--very helpful

I know you hate the idea of scars, but I'll bet you could get used to them once you are enjoying your smaller perkier breasts. You would need a lollipop scar breast reduction/lift to make your breasts smaller and perkier. You could try liposuction to reduce the size of your breasts, but you are thin and you indicate that weight loss doesn't change the size of your breasts, so it's likely that there isn't much fat in your breasts--which means liposuction... more

Carmen Kavali, MD

Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Reduced scar breast reduction

There are a number of modified scar breast reduction with lift procedures that rely more on internal shaping of the breast instead of completely on the external scars for creating support. A periareolar breast reduction or circular breast scar may be used in reductions up to 50 grams per side. It is a Brazilian method and similar to a Benelli or French method. Our practice has been performing moderate size breast reductions using a circle-only scar since 1998. A... more

Donn Hickman, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Minimal scar breast reduction

Short scar breast reduction is a preferred technique for reducing scarring after breast reduction surgery. In this technique, a lollipop pattern of scars is used to decrease the overall length of scars after the procedure.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

The scar war!

Breast reduction is all about trading a smaller,nicer breast shape for the price of adding scars. most scars could heal well but are not invisible. it is possible to make the scars shorter but i would not compromise results for a shorter scar.

Hisham Seify, MD, PhD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Breast reduction by liposuction

You potentially can reduce the breast volume by liposuction if you are willing to accept the possibility of sagging of the breast BREAST REDUCTION BY LIPOSUCTION Massive breast enlargement can be a source of embarrassment and self consciousness about body image. Many women with large breasts complain of upper back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, and even arm numbness. These patients will benefit from breast reduction surgery. However, breast reduction surgical techniques leave significant... more

Samir Shureih, MD

Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Breast Reduction Scars - Video Answer

I just finished making a video that shows how the breast reduction scars allow for the reshaping of the breast. To directly answer your question, the volume of the breasts could potentially be reduced strictly by liposuction, but this would lead to deflation and the breasts would drop. The other part of your question - there is no way to create a breast lift without scars. Please see the video to see how it works. Dr.B see video