Lightening Post-Plastic Surgery Scarring Via V-Beam Laser with Winslow Facial Plastic Surgery (Shannon the Aesthetician)

Serious complication from a brachioplasty with another plastic surgeon left my arms with hypertrophic and darker scars. You may read about the brachioplasty complication here: https://www.realself.com/review/ramsey-nj-arm-lift-flankplasty-breast-lift-body-lift-medial-thigh-lift

Now more than 2-years out from that brachioplasty, recently I've begun laser treatments at Winslow Facial Plastic Surgery to correct the scarring. I had my second treatment of v-beam laser on both arms this week. The treatment is to both lighten the color of the scars and flatten them as they are hypertrophic. I go back for a third treatment in 3 weeks. My aesthetician Shannon is very happy with my improvement.

I am so very grateful to my facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Catherine Winslow, for taking care of me! Love her! She has a full suite of services at her practice. And she is one of the very few plastic surgeons that offer v-beam laser therapy. Shannon is awesome. She has been with the practice for 9-years. Apparently the v-beam can be painful and Shannon was concerned for my comfort. I have absolutely no feeling in the scars so the laser is completely unnoticeable.

I will post photos of the final results. Thank you, Shannon, and thank you, Dr. Winslow!!! [RS bleep] ooo

I've had facial plastic surgery as well as botox and filler with Dr. Winslow and her team. My results were amazing, so much more than I expected, and I highly recommend them. Feel free to read my facelift review here: https://www.realself.com/review/carmel-in-facelift-and-feel-15-years-younger-incredible-work-dr-catherine

Any plastic surgeon will tell you that scarring is very subjective. There are many factors that come into play and you should be sure to discuss your case with your doctor. Keep in mind that a massive weight loss body is, to be blunt, damaged goods. So a plastic surgeon can do incredible work to restore normalcy but s/he is not a miracle-worker... some things are simply beyond repair. We have destroyed the collagen and structures of the skin. As far as I know, this is permanent damage -- or at least damage that cannot be fixed by a plastic surgeon. In the case of bariatric plastic surgery, it is mostly a skin removal procedure with some muscle tightening.

Most plastic surgeons also will agree that the arms present a challenge in healing and scarring. What I have found in my research is that massaging the arm scars during the healing process breaks up the scar tissue and discourages hypertropic scars from forming. Things such as silicon gels and tapes as well as compression garments do not seem to help. Do your own research and check all of this with your doctor as I am not a healthcare professional. Some plastic surgeons do believe these treatments provide benefit.

The plastic surgeon who performed my brachioplasty (not Dr. Winslow) did not believe in silicon or compression or massage. If I were having the surgery now with what I know, I would massage the scars. Obviously I cannot predict if that would make a difference but several HCPs now treating me have told me of the benefits of massage in breaking down scar tissue as well as lymphatic drainage. According to both my massage therapist and my chiropractor (they are not affiliated BTW) my scars have disrupted my lymphatic system. It isn't too late to repair it through massage.

My body contouring plastic surgeon's protocol was to cut out hypertropic scars once the arms had healed. I am very glad that laser treatments are an effective treatment option as I cannot imagine letting anyone ever cut my arms again. I just had far too many complications. Another advantage of the lasers is that there is no downtime. The treatment takes a few minutes and then you leave the practice and go about life as usual.

I don't want to discourage anyone from having an arm lift. For most massive weight loss women undergoing plastic surgery, you will look incomplete if you get a facelift and body lift but don't do your arms. They are such a visible part of the anatomy! We all, patients and plastic surgeons both, desire to minimize scarring. So its great to know that there are treatments available such as v-beam laser that will flatten and lighten scars even 2+ years out from surgery.