What can I do to minimize the appearance of left over areola in connecting scar after lollipop breast lift? (photos)

Hello, a retained areola occurs if the areola was large and your surgeon was not able to excise all the pigmented tissue safely due to the wound not closing. Sometimes, if your skin stretches out a bit over time, more of the pigmented skin can be removed and often can be done under local anesthesia. You may discuss options with your surgeon once your skin stretches a bit to see if this is possible. The pigmentation will not go away with scar treatment because it is not officially part of the scar and the pigmentation is different than scar pigmentation. You look great. Good luck! Dr. Sumer Daiza

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

Hello @Helpful117264, thank you for your question. I recommend you consider having a scar revision no sooner than 6 months after your original surgery. This is the only way to restore the normal shape of the nipple and make it look more aesthetically pleasing. Best wishes! Alan Gonzalez MD, FACS. American Society of Plastic Surgery Member (ASPS), International Federation for Adipose Therapeutics and Science” Member (IFATS), Colombian Society of Plastic Surgery member (SCCP)

Your breasts could be much improved with a revision. The excess aerola could be simply excised and closed. However, to my eye your vertical incision is too long giving you a "long" lower breast. This could be revised by adding a horizontal incision hidden in your inframammary fold to shorten and make the lower breast more round. These changes could be done in one procedure. Good luck.

Judging from your photos, your breasts have healed and appear soft and the skin relaxed. In fact, you can argue that your lower pole skin has over expanded (very very common), leaving the appearance of nipples that are too high, with recurrent sagging of breast tissue below the inframammary fold. An experience breast surgeon can completely remove the residual areola and tighten the lower poles of your breasts with a revision breast lift/minor reduction. This surgery would be even easier to recover from because the breast doesn't have to be completely disassembled to make the corrections.

What you have is very common although usually to a lesser degree. It needs to be cut out and resutured and could be done under local anesthesia. It probably occurred because your areolae were probably large to begin with and the edge of the pigment not well defined. If you were my patient I would do it at no charge

This can usually be excised at a later date. It is best to allow a few months to pass before doing the procedure.

Dear Helpful117264,
it is hard to tell for sure without an examination. If you are considering surgery, I would suggest you consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination, you will get more information and recommendations.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

More of that darker tissue can be excised to minimize its appearance. You are probably far enough from surgery that you have some looseness and the removal will be fine.

SImple....a revision mastopexy would remove the unwanted areola skin and tighten the breasts giving you more upper pole fullness as well.
Dr. Taranow