Breast Augmentation Scars
Important Information About Breast Augmentation Scars
When you decide to have breast surgery, you can rest assured there will be breast augmentation scars left afterward. However, the size and location of those scars depends entirely on what kind of breast augmentation surgery you choose.
Breast augmentation scars can be located in the area around the nipple, under the arm, under the breast, or even down in the naval. The surgeon will always do his best to make the scar as unnoticeable as possible, but it’s up to the patient to follow the guidelines provided to help care for her incision site after surgery. If the patient follows the care guidelines closely, breast augmentation scars usually look firm and pink for about six weeks. The scars then fade quite a bit, although they are still noticeable if you look for them.
The scar associated with an incision in the nipple area will usually result in the smallest scar out of all breast augmentation surgeries because the incision there is the smallest. However, the surgery that leaves a scar in the naval is considered by some to be less noticeable than any other kind of breast augmentation scar.
All breast augmentation scars are permanent, but patients can help minimize their scars after surgery by leaving the surgical tape on for a long time after the surgery. This reduces the amount of tension placed on the skin around the incision site and keeps the skin from pulling too tightly while it’s healing. Leaving the tape on the incision site for the recommended amount of time also reduces the likelihood that the incision will reopen and damage the skin further. Some surgeons also recommend other treatments after surgery to improve the look of breast augmentation scars. These treatments may include laser treatments or some types of injections. Patients can also improve the looks of them by using vitamin A or E cream on them.
There are two types of scars that may form after a breast augmentation surgery that could make the surgical site look terrible. One is called a keloid scar, and this type of scar appears red, raised, and irritated. Usually keloid scars are larger than the size of the original incision. Keloid scars are most common in women with darker skin tones. They occur when the body produces too much collagen after surgery.
The other kind of scar that can make a breast augmentation surgery look bad is called a hypertrophic scar. These scars grow thicker than normal but remain in the area of the incision. Surgeons say hypertrophic scars occur in about 10 percent of incisions made in the crease under the breast, about 5 percent of incisions made in the area around the nipple, and less than one percent of incisions made under the arm.
Sometimes excess scaring can occur because of medical conditions or even genetics. It’s important for the patient to inform the surgeon of all health issues because of this risk. If a patient suffers very bad-looking breast augmentation scars after surgery, there are also a few options to repair the damaged skin. Some surgeons recommend excising the severe scars to give the skin another chance to heal properly.