Silicone Sheets Causing Increased Redness of Scar? (photo)

Question

I had a breast lift on 11/27. No opening of incisions, only the spitting of a few stitches. Using bio dermis silicone sheeting for my scars. The first day the scars seem to look a bit lighter. On the 2nd and 3rd day my scars become deeper red and purple. I wear them all day except to shower. I do not have any irritation or pain, just really red cars father wearing the silicone on my breast. I also had a mini tummy tuck and am wearing scar away on that scar 23 hours a day and its perfect!

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

If the silicone sheets are increasing the redness of the scar, you may have an allergy to this.  Continued monitoring will be required.

Young R. Cho, MD, PhD · Answer

The main role for silicone sheets is to keep the incisions hydrated 
during the remodelling phase of the scar maturation.  This allows the 
underlying cells to work in a more optimized fashion.  The brand is less
 important but compliance usually follows ease of use.  Silicone usually
 has less skin irritation concerns with use compared to adhesives.  They
 can also be re-used.I would try the silicone on one breast and not the other for a couple days and see if this makes a difference.  If so, then you may try a different brand.

Edwin C. Pound, III, MD · Answer

It takes a LONG time for scars to fully mature following surgery. Even incisions on different parts of the body heal at different rates. I tell my patients that it takes about a year to a year and a half for a scar to fully flatten, fade, and mature. While there are a lot of products on the market that purportedly help create better scars, I personally think that all of them are voodoo. To me, the fact that there are so many of them out there tells me that none of them is perfect. If there was one scar cure that really worked, we would all be using it. Time is the most important factor. Still, I would not discourage you from using any of these scar cures. If you think that the silicone sheeting is making your breast scars more discolored then I would suggest that you stop using the sheets on your breast scars for a few days/weeks and see if that makes them any better.

Jourdan Gottlieb, MD · Answer

The photos are not quite adequate to be certain about this, but I think the vertical scar may have pigment from the original areola. This sometimes occurs when the areolas are very large, and the not enough of the pigmented skin could be removed at the time of surgery, and it winds up along the vertical incision.When that occurs, the darker skin can usually be excised after 6 to 12 months. 

	Ask your surgeon about this. If all the other scars are ok, this seems all the more likely.

	Thanks for your question, and for the posted photo. Best wishes.

Silicone Sheets Causing Increased Redness of Scar? (photo)

Answers (4)