Breast Lift Scars: Are They Healing Correctly?

You are only 8 weeks from surgery, and neither your scars nor your implants have reached their final appearance! That will take about 6-12 months, with gradual and ongoing changes along the way. Final breast shape is related to both, and as your tissues heal and stretch, and your scars mature and soften, your final results will be revealed. In most cases it's worth the wait!

Though your photos do not show significant discrepancy (particularly for this point in your recovery), an elastic bandeau worn above the "high" breast implant side and below the "low" implant side (at night only) will help to even out position differences. During the day, going braless as much as work and social activities allow will aid in implants dropping into their final position.

Implant movement exercises can help your implant pocket stay open (and the breast soft), and can in some cases help to stretch it slightly, allowing more similar movement when your chest muscles contract. Move your implant on the "tighter" side more vigorously to help stretch the capsule. Can't hurt; might help!

Vitamin E scar massage, silicone scar pads, and ultraviolet avoidance will all aid your scars in fading as much as possible. Remember, however, no matter how skilled we are in suturing your incisions, all scars are permanent. Best wishes!

Your scars look typical for their stage of healing.

Patients need to be tolerant of minor differences as the healing proceeds. Remember that you didn't undergo one operation on 3.9.11, you had two separate procedures (the right breast and then the left).

Keep your followup appointments with your plastic surgeon, and all the best.

Plastic surgery scars require attention after surgery so that they remain cosmetically-appealing and barely noticeable. In our office, we use a protocol for scars that minimizes their activity in the 6-8 weeks after surgery. If you have late plastic surgery scars, you may also require laser and RF therapy to help reduce the longterm effects of the scarring. Keloids, hypertrophic scars, widened scars, red scars, and hyperpigmented scars all require scar modulation with topical creams followed by lasers and RF therapy. Topical skincare should be directed to a specific need, whether for pigmentation or hypertrophy and our office can guide you through the process to obtain the correct Plato’s Scar cream or Melarase cream for hypertrophy and discoloration. In terms of lasers, we would employ the vbeam laser for redness, Venus Viva RF, PRP microneedling, chemical peels, and Morpheus 8, fractional erbium, or fractional co2. All of these have their individual benefits. Most of all, we recommend you visit a solid plastic surgeon who understands surgical scar revision, laser therapy, and RF therapy for scars.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon