Breast Lift Scars: A Timeline
Whenever incisions are required for a surgery, scars are an inevitability.
The good news is that — when it comes to breast lift scars — they will fade with time, and you can minimize their appearance yourself by taking good care of your incision sites.
If you are curious about what type of scarring you should expect after your breast lift surgery, read on for more information, and don’t forget to check out our amazing breast lift before and after pictures.
Breast Lifts Explained
Before we discuss breast lift scarring, let’s briefly go over what a breast lift is as this procedure can sometimes be confused with breast augmentation.
A breast lift — also known as mastopexy — is a cosmetic surgery that aims to reverse the effects of drooping, sagging breasts. Most drooping breasts are caused by aging, but some women may experience drooping or sagging as a result of pregnancy, breastfeeding, or weight loss.
No matter the cause, a breast lift can raise the breasts and tighten the breast tissue. The procedure will also remove excess tissue and may sometimes involve an alteration of the areolas. By contrast, breast augmentation uses implants or fat from the patient’s own body to increase the size of the breasts and change their shape.
A breast lift shares a few things with a breast reduction. A breast reduction includes a lift as a part of the procedure as a breast reduction aims at significantly reducing the size of the breasts. During the breast reduction, tissue is removed which then necessitates a lift afterward in order to reposition the breast after the breast reduction.
What to Expect From Breast Lift Scars
After a breast lift, most patients will have at least two scars (one on each side). Many patients will have four scars, and some patients will have more than this.
Basically, there are three incision pattern options available to patients.
First, if only a small amount of skin and tissue needs to be adjusted, your surgeon can simply make an incision around the edge of each areola. These scars are barely noticeable when healed.
Another incision pattern that may be used is one called the lollipop incision pattern. This surgery involves one scar on each breast around the areola and another that goes from the bottom of each areola down to the crease. Finally, an anchor incision pattern is basically the lollipop pattern with an additional incision made along the crease line of each breast.
Now, let’s take a look at what to expect in terms of breast lift scarring over time.
Breast Lift Scarring Timeline
Breast lift scars 3 weeks after surgery
Just three weeks after surgery, your incision sites will still be healing. They will be pink and may still be tender and swollen. The only things you can do at this point to minimize scar appearance are to continue following your doctor’s postoperative instructions.
Breast lift scars after 6 months
After six months, your lift results will be apparent, but you’ll still have some residual swelling. Your scar tissue should be flat and slightly faded. Continue on with your scar-minimizing practices. This is around the time when you should be finally out of your supportive bra garments (if you haven’t already been allowed to discontinue using them).
Breast lift scars after one year
Scar tissue after 12 months (one year) should be faded significantly, and your final results should be visible.
You should still continue to use massage and/or silicone patches or creams (in accordance with your surgeon’s instructions). Even a year after surgery, you can continue to minimize the appearance of your scars.
Tips for Minimizing Scars After Surgery
Are your breast lift scars healed, there are things you can do to minimize their appearance:
- Follow your surgeon’s postoperative care instructions closely
- Avoid vigorous activity directly after surgery (and for several weeks)
- Be sure you don’t place any tension on your chest during recovery
- Use scar minimizing creams and silicone patches (as directed)
- Try massaging your scars (check with your surgeon first)
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Stay hydrated
- Avoid smoking and alcohol
FAQ: Breast Lift Scars
How many breast lift surgery scars will I have?
This depends on what type of surgery you and your surgeon decide upon.
A concentric lift will require an incision around each areola. A lollipop lift will entail the same areola incisions and one incision that runs from the bottom of the areola to the breast crease on each breast. An anchor lift is a lollipop lift with an additional incision along the under-breast crease on each side.
How effective are breast lifts after 40?
Getting a breast lift after 40 is actually quite normal. In fact, most women don’t experience sagging breasts until their late 30s or 40s unless it is an inherent issue they’ve had since puberty.
Does breast lift scars go away?
No, but over time, your breast surgery scars will fade, and many breast lift scars are hardly noticeable to begin with (especially those around the areola). In most cases, vertical breast lift scars are the most difficult to conceal (with lollipop or anchor lifts) as they cannot be hidden around the areolas or within the crease.
How long does a breast lift scar usually last?
You will technically have breast lift scars for the rest of your life, but they will fade with time. After a few years, many patients don’t even notice their breast lift scars anymore.
What can make breast lift scars worse?
Exposing your scars to the sun during the healing process can make the scars worse. Additionally, any kind of irritation will darken scar tissue and make the scars worse.
Is there a way to get rid of scars?
There are professional scar removal treatments available, however it is best to follow your surgeons instructions immediately after surgery to avoid any need for removal treatments.
Book Your Consultation Today!
Knowing you’ll have scars from your surgical procedure shouldn’t hold you back from the procedure. You can analyze breast lift before and after photos to see amazing results.
If you have been mulling over a breast lift but still aren’t sure if you’d be a good candidate, contact our office today to book a one-on-one consultation with Dr. Smita Ramanadham.