5 months post. Red/inflamed areola incisions after breast lift. Is this a normal reaction? Can it improve by itself with time?

Hi Fenone,
For scars, I close all of my incisions in 5 layers and do not use absorbable sutures because they cause inflammation and worse scarring. I tape all of my incisions in the office visits once a week for six weeks after surgery to improve the appearance. After taping, I start my patients on a scar gel therapy for 3 months that they have to put on their incisions twice daily.

I understand you are concerned with the appearance of your scars. Scar redness is not uncommon after breast augmentation surgery and may resolve over time.  Always follow your surgeon's post operative care instructions when it comes to scar management to avoid any complications like infection and for faster healing and recovery.

If you are concerned, you should visit your plastic surgeon for assessment. and to discuss your concerns, as different surgeons have different approaches in scar management.

 Daniel Barrett, MD, MHA, MS

Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery

Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery

Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

This situation is unusual but here are some possibilities to discuss with your surgeon. It may be that the sutures used beneath the skin in the areola are dissolvable sutures that are programmed to dissolve now. All dissolvable sutures breakdown from inflammation and this may be causing some redness. If so, then this phase should pass or improve with laser.
Another possibility is that the areola is stretching out over time and the scar is thickening in reaction to this. If this is the case the areola can be revised using a permanent suture under the skin ( Gortex is one such suture) to limit stretching out later. 
See what your PS thinks. 
Best Regards, Prashant SoniM.D.

Scar redness is quite common after surgery. The redness tends to fade throughout the first year. A laser can help speed up the process. Some patients have no redness to their scars, and some patients develop some redness. It can be a little unpredictable. But, with time, it always seems to improve. Hope this helps.