I am Asian and have been told that Asian skin could scar more from breast implants. Is this true, and is there any way to prevent bad scars? I am interested in getting the silicone gel implants under the breast fold.
How to Prevent Bad Breast Augmentation Scar in Asians?
Doctor Answers 19
I am glad you have decided to have the incision under your breast fold. I have performed hundreds of breast augmentation and the risk of developing a thick and noticeable scar is almost zero. This is true regardless of race. I have patients who are Vietnamese, Chinese, African-American, Hispanic, white, etc.
However, if you are one of the rare patients who develops a noticeable scar, the incision under the breast fold is not visible unless your breast is lifted. That is why I also prefer this incision.
The scar under the breast, in any race, typically heals very well following breast augmentation. I have yet to see any hypertrophic scarring in Asians in this location. After your surgery, you can apply a scar gel or cream such as ScarFade or ScarGuard. If you sunbathe, be sure to use sunscreen on the scar to prevent hyperpigmentation. Good luck, /nsn.
It is true that Asian and darker skinned individuals have more of a tendency for ropy scars. Best Scar Management is important to minimize or completely hide from view, the telltale signs of your surgery—namely, scars. Both you and your surgeon want you to have the most minimal scarring possible. There are many possible causes for scars that are enlarged or not healing well. Unsightly scars are most commonly due to genetics, underlying medical conditions, or improper scar/wound care. The last part is very important and patients can make a noticeable difference in their scars’ appearance by following best scar management practices. See the below link with simple tips on how to prevent bad scars
Web reference: http://drnichter.com/best-scar-management/
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Hello! Thank you for the question! The typical incision used for breast augmentation are: inframammary (in the fold beneath your breast), periareolar (at the border of the areola), axillary (within the armpit crease), and TUBA (through the umbilicus). Incision placement will do a lot with your preference, surgeon comfort level with that approach, and the type of implant - silicone implants will be difficult to place within certain access incisions. Breast augmentation scars are well concealed and are very discrete. They should not be visible within clothing, and likely hidden without clothing. If your concern is the visibility without garments, you should consider remote access incisions such as in the armpit. However, these other incisions heal very well on the breast and often times inconspicuous.
It is common for scars to fully mature for up to a year. In the meantime, there are a few things that may help to ameliorate your incision/scar. The most proven (as well as cheapest) modality is simple scar massage. Applying pressure and massaging the well-healed scar has been shown to improve the appearance as it breaks up the scar tissue, hopefully producing the finest scar as possible. Other things that have been shown to add some benefit, albeit controversial, are silicone sheets, hydration, and topical steroids. In addition, avoidance of direct sunlight to the incision will significantly help the appearance as they tend to discolor with UV light during the healing process.
If unsightly scars are still present after approximately a year's time, other things that your surgeon may consider are intralesional steroid injections, laser, or just surgical revision of the scar itself.
Consult with a plastic surgeon your goals, concerns, and expectations. Certainly incisions should be considered, but should not limit your overall result by hindering visualization and access to your surgeon, and what produces the best results in his/her hands.
Hope that this helps! Best wishes!
It is common for scars to fully mature for up to a year. In the meantime, there are a few things that may help to ameliorate your incision/scar. The most proven (as well as cheapest) modality is simple scar massage. Applying pressure and massaging the well-healed scar has been shown to improve the appearance as it breaks up the scar tissue, hopefully producing the finest scar as possible. Other things that have been shown to add some benefit, albeit controversial, are silicone sheets, hydration, and topical steroids. In addition, avoidance of direct sunlight to the incision will significantly help the appearance as they tend to discolor with UV light during the healing process.
If unsightly scars are still present after approximately a year's time, other things that your surgeon may consider are intralesional steroid injections, laser, or just surgical revision of the scar itself.
Consult with a plastic surgeon your goals, concerns, and expectations. Certainly incisions should be considered, but should not limit your overall result by hindering visualization and access to your surgeon, and what produces the best results in his/her hands.
Hope that this helps! Best wishes!
Every person heals differently and will improve over the next 3 to 6 months. If your scars have widened then you may want to consider a scar revision. Some patients require up to one year to fully mature. A nice scar starts in the operation room. The incision must be placed in the right position, sutured keeping the tension off of the skin itself. Also it has been show that keeping the incision taped for the first three weeks keeps some of the early tension off of the scar. Then from the end of the third week to the end of the third month it helps to use a topical product with silicone.
Thank you for the question.
Generally, I prefer the infraareolar incision for Asian breast augmentation patients. I have found that this incision line tends to blend in as much as possible with the areola pigmented skin.
Best wishes.
Web reference: http://www.poustiplasticsurgery.com/Procedures/african-american.htm
Choosing the best incision for breast augmentation
There are basically four choices of incision for placing breast implants - Inframammary, per-areaolar, transaxillary and trans-umbilical. Choosing the incision for placement of the implants which is best in any given situation can be affected by many factors – these can be broken down into patient specific factors and surgeon specific factors.
Patient specific factors include ethnicity and tendency for poor scarring (some ethnic groups have a propensity for hypertophic or even keloid scarring), pre-existing anatomy (e.g. Is a given patient’s areolae large enough for placement of a pre-filled silicone implant?) Given the propensity for hyperpigmenting and hypertrophic scars in Asian patients, I often lean towards the peri-arealoar incision if I think the implant (I use mostly silicone) can fit through the incision.
Surgeon specific factors tend to include the biases and experience of the surgeon, which should not be discounted or taken lightly.
My personal experience after over 3000 breast augmentation is that inframammary and peri-areolar incision give the most control over the breast implant pocket and that transaxillary and trans-umbilical incision have a higher revision rate.
Web reference: https://www.hankinsplasticsurgery.com/gallery/breast/breast-augmentation/
The armpit has several natural folds which minimize scarring. We have been using the technique in both patients choosing saline implants and silicone implants. The key to the success of the technique is using the endoscope to guide the dissection of the pocket in order to create the shape and size the patient desires. 98% of our primary augmentations are done through this approach. It has been very successful in our Asian, Latino, and African-American patients.
You ware at increased risk for bad scars (hyperpigmentation, keloids, etc.). There is no way to absolutely guarantee a good result, even with meticulous closure of the wounds. Healing should be monitored and measures can be taken as needed during healing.
Hi.
Most Asians heal fine after breast augmentation. In patients with other thick scars, or who are very worried, the scars can be placed inside the areolas, because sexual skin heals with much less noticeable scarring.
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.
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