When Should Breast Augmentation Sutures Be Removed?

As a general rule breast augmentation wounds are closed in several layers.I personally close my breast augmentation wound using 3 layers on internal dissolving sutures. This way, the patient does not see any sutures and nothing needs to be removed.Ultimately the surgeon wants a very fine white line for the scar.I would suggest that it is unusual for a plastic surgeon to use external nylon sutures that need to be removed?If you a referring to a single nylon stitch that runs under the skin along the entire length of the wound and is only visible at either end of the wound, then this situation might be understandable. This would be the only situation where I would think a surgeon would consider leaving a stitch in for 3 weeks, at which stage they simply pull on the stitch and it slides out with a well healed wound. However, 3 weeks could be considered excessive even in this situation and I would suggest that no more than 10-14 days would be required.However, this is very different to the situation where the wound is closed using multiple interrupted sutures along the length of the wound. These should be removed 5-7 days post-op. If they are left in too long then you will end up with a scar that has "track marks" along the entire length, which is very unsightly.I would get clarification from your surgeon and justification for their preferred technique.

Thank you for your question.  There are definitely concerns associated with leaving sutures that must be removed in place for too long, including the development of 'track marks' or a noticeable scar.  But in some instances, it is necessary to leave sutures in for longer than usual depending on how much stress there is on the closure, the amount of swelling, etc...In my practice, I routinely close breast augmentation incisions with dissolvable or absorbable sutures and then cover these incisions with steri strips that stay in place for about two weeks.  With that said, there are occasions where I will use interrupted nylon sutures as well, and I typically leave these in place for 7-10 days.  I would recommend discussing the timing of your suture removal with your operating surgeon.  Each surgeon's protocols are slightly different and I cannot stress the importance of deferring to your operating surgeons instructions as they are most familiar with your procedure, your case and the technique employed.  I hope this helps and best of luck!

Thank you for your question. External sutures are generally left in from a few days to several weeks depending on their purpose. If it is simply to reapproximate skin, then the duration is shorter. If they are to allow for a more scar tissue healing to help shape the breast or define a fold, then several weeks is more appropriate. The big downside is that the suture track marks are more prone to being visible long-term. The alternative would be do consider internal sutures to do the same thing if your surgeon feels this is possible.