How Soon After Breast Lift and Tummy Tuck Can You Put Paper Tape on Incision?

Thank you for your question. Breast incisions can be managed using a multimodal approach:1) Scar massage - starting as soon as the surgical dressings come off and the incisions are sealed2) Silicone sheets or scar gels for about six months to year3) Embrace - a tension reducing dressing for the first 2 months4) Fractionated lasers to help blend the scar into the background - done as a series, starting about 4 weeks after surgery and repeated every four weeks for six months.5) Sunscreen to prevent the scars from darkeningThe main role for silicone sheets (or paper tape) is to keep the incisions hydrated during the remodelling phase of the scar maturation. This allows the underlying cells to work in a more optimized fashion. The brand is less important but compliance usually follows ease of use. Silicone usually has less skin irritation concerns with use compared to adhesives. They can also be re-used.

When
patients undergo cosmetic surgery they’re often concerned about scarring. A variety of treatment options have been
developed to minimize adverse wound healing following these procedures.The use of steri-strips and
silicone sheets are popular for treating post-operative scars.These materials are typically applied to
surgical wounds three weeks after surgery.This allows adequate time for small areas of breakdown to heal and wound
edges to seal.Treatment lasts for
variable periods of time but, in most cases, the duration is about three
months.These maneuvers are associated with
excellent clinical results and high levels of patient satisfaction.At this point in time, it’s reasonable to use
steri-strips as long as all your wounds are completely sealed.

Hello! Thank you for your question! Discuss postoperative scar treatment with your surgeon.  If you were to use such modalities as taping/silicone, many would allow the use once healed and around 6-8 weeks postoperatively.  After any surgical procedure, you should be careful with incisions as well as avoidance of direct UVA and UVB rays in order to lessen the chance for hyperpigmentation of the skin and scars, which can take several months to resolve, if it ever does. Sunblock of 35 or above is recommended regardless. The ability of the affected area to heal has been slowed and you should try to avoid additional swelling to the area. The area will likely be numb for several weeks to months and will be difficult to feel when sunburn is coming on. Typical recommendations include wearing a hat and/or sunblock to the affected area for at least 6-12 weeks following the procedure. It takes up to one year for scars to fully mature. You should also avoid trauma to the area for several months to protect the refinements made during the procedure. Also, avoidance of pools/lakes/jacuzzis/etc for 4-6 weeks is usually recommended to allow adequate healing and protection from stagnant water, that could potentially harbor bacteria. Lifting/exercise restrictions are common for at least 6 weeks. Certainly discuss the postoperative instructions with your surgeon, as thoughts differ among surgeons. Hope that this helps! Best wishes!

  I do not tape the incisions, but many patients use silicone sheeting or some variation on their scars after 4 to 6 weeks.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

I understand the previous answers and your wanting to minimize scarring, but honestly there is not much you can do. Yes, taping an incision may taken some tension off the skin, but minimal at best. If the incision is closed well, then the deep layers have tension, but not the skin itself. If you start to get thicker scars at 6-8 weeks, then applying some type of topical silicone may help.

Good luck.