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Brown Spots Beside Breast Lift Scars

asked 3 years ago by sophie14 in dallas,tx
Latest answer by John P. Di Saia, MD
Question viewed 3,018 times
Tags: scar, surgery scar

I had Breast Lift surgery done about 3 months ago. The scars are doing good and I can hardly see them, but I developed some brown spots on the side of my scars. Is this normal, and what can I do to get rid of these spots?

14 answers to Brown Spots Beside Breast Lift Scars

Brown Spots Around Scars

If the brown spots are along the vertical incision extending from the areola to the crease, they may be pigment left over from the previous position of the areola. This is treated by cutting out the spots. The spots may be a pigment reaction to scarring. This is treated with bleaching cream &/or laser. Ask you surgeon to evaluate these for you and ask him to explain the treatment options.

Paul C. Zwiebel, MD
Denver Plastic Surgeon

www.pzwiebel.com

Darkening of Scar after breast lift surgery

The most likely explanation of the peri-scar hyperpigmentation is a process known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. This occurs during the healing phase of a scar wherein the inflammatory healing cells stimulate pigment deposition. The process can be minimized by the judicious use of skin lightening agents postoperatively.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Several causes are possible

Brown spots along the scars could be from the dissolving sutures or from the resolution of bruising. One other cause would be if some retained areolar skin was left behind and not removed. The first two would resolve spontaneously but could be enhanced with hydroquinone creams or IPL laser treatments. The extra areolar skin would need to be removed.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Show your surgeon.

Hello, We need to know what these pigmented areas might represent before we can figure what to do about them. Have your surgeon take a look. Best Regards, John Di Saia MD

John P. Di Saia, MD
Orange Plastic Surgeon

Brown spots on breast lift scars

It is impossible without an examination to say with certainty what the cause of this is, however, sometimes some of the brown skin of the areola gets transferred to the underneath side of the breast and can show up along the vertical scar under the areola. If this occurs, it is very simple to correct at a later time simply by excising a little bit more skin along the vertical scar. This can usually be done under local anesthesia with minimal pain or downtime.

Ronald J. Edelson, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

Brown Spots by Scars

Without a picture and without examining you, it is really difficult to give you an idea of what is going on. My best advice would be to follow up with your surgeon for an evaluation. In some cases, scar can have pigmentation issue but there are creams that are very effective at helping this. Good luck.

David Shafer, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Brown spots adjacent to breast lift scars

There are a number of possible causes for the brown spots around the scars on your breast, though most likely they represent post inflammatory hyperpigmentation. This condition tends to develop several weeks to months after surgery, and may be treated with topical bleaching cream if it does not resolve on its own.

Olivia Hutchinson, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Hyperpigmentation after any operation, including breast lift, is a potential side effect.

Hyperpigmentation is the response of melanocytes to trauma. Surgical incisions are traumatic and hyperpigmentation can be a response to this. Most of the time it will fade as the inflammation subsides over months. Bleaching creams can help but they should be used judiciously.

Vincent N. Zubowicz, MD
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

Skin changes after a breast lift surgery

The way your skin reacts after a breast lift surgery depends largely on the technique used for the procedure. If the procedure employed techniques that required a great deal of tension on the skin to retain the breast shape, you may expect wide scars and skin color changes. For this reason, in our practice, we use techniques that employ very small incisions and stress creating an internal framework within the breast mound to help keep the breast shape. Once the shape of the... more

B. Pat Pazmino, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon

Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation following breast lift

As the other plastic surgeons responding to your question have accurately pointed out, you probably have post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation following your breast lift (mastopexy). Hyperpigmentation (darkening of your scar and/or the tissues adjacent to it) is due to increased melanocyte (pigment cell) activity due to inflammation from surgical healing. It occurs most commonly due to: 1. Delayed wound healing, causing a prolonged inflammatory response. 2. Repeated scratching of or picking... more

Ronald Friedman, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Brown spots by breast scars

The brown spots you mention can really be from a whole host of things. This can be from healing issues that occur secondarily, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, retained skin elements, etc.. Speak to you doctor about this.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Brown spots happen

Brown spots can be caused by: Localized inflammation that causes a hyperpigmentation - treat with topical steroids or hydroquinone Retained areola - surgical resection Use patience in treating this and discuss with your own doctor

Robert M. Freund, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

www.breastenlargement.net

They are probably residual fragments of your nipples.

To sophie1, Hi! They are probably the edges of your areolas (the dark circle around your actual nipples) that are now around the lower scars. This does not mean your surgeon did anything wrong. Depending on your anatomy, cutting out these edges can make the skin too tight and give you a bad shape in the breasts. With time, the skin often relaxes, and then these dark areas can be removed under local anesthesia.

George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Brown spots in Breast lift scars: A few causes

There are a few causes for this: Any scar which is expsosed to prolonged inflammation (especially in a dark skinned individual) can develop post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Inflammation can be caused by: prolonged sun exposure skin blisters tape reaction low grade fungal infections excessive moisture suture (stitch) reactions etc Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation resolves over time but it may take a year or two. Occasionally mild steroid creams may help but I would consult your... more