Shouldn't my Scars Be Nearly Invisible a Year After (Under the Crease) Breast Implant Surgery? (photo)

Hello! Thank you for the question! 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. Hope that this helps! Best wishes!

Thank you for your question.

I am sorry to hear that your scars are not improving.  Generally, I tell patients that scars can take up to 12-18 months to completely mature.  Sometimes steroid injections can help and sometimes a scar revision (can usually be performed under local anesthesia) can help.

I would suggest seeing your surgeon and discussing your concerns to see what options he/she can offer to you.

Best Wishes.

Thank you for your question and photographs. Your scars look very red considering they are 1-year-old and I understand they are lumpy. The 1540 fractional erbium non-ablative laser is a very effective laser for treating scars. The 1540 can often convert red raised lumpy scars to flat white scars. Go to the website of Palomar Medical this a if there is a physician in your area who has the 1540 laser.