Breast Reduction: All You Need to Know About Scars

The things you need to know about breast reduction surgery and scars.

  • Locations of the surgical scars 
  • Minimizing scars after surgery

Breast reduction surgery offers one of the most amazing physical and mental transformations in the field of plastic surgery. But how can a surgery that has so much potential for change, cause such concern?  Why do some find it so hard to move ahead even though they are struggling? Well the answer is simple: the scars. Many worry that you are trading one problem for another: smaller and lighter breast for unsightly scars.  But, these concerns are rooted in the past.  Nowadays, with all our exciting advancements in operative techniques and scar reduction treatments and therapies, the scars are not such a problem anymore.  With a successful surgery, you can now have confidence that your scars will fade and leave you with a smaller and more beautiful breast. 

Scar placement: Although scar placement depends on the shape and size of your breast, the scars with breast reduction surgery are usually one of two common types:  A lollipop scar, which places the scar around your areola and below your nipple (along the centerline of your breast) or an anchor scar which places the scar in similar fashion to the lollipop scar but also includes a scar along the base of your breast. A lollipop scar is preferred in many cases as it minimizes the length of the scars.  The medical lingo term for this surgery is a vertical breast reduction.  But in some cases, an anchor scar is necessary to remove an excess amount of breast tissue below the nipple and areola.  Both of these scars heal very well when correctly designed by your surgeon.  Include diagram of 2 different types of scars 

Scar visibility: Although faint scars are a necessary part of this surgery, the way they look depends on good surgical planning and diligent care after surgery.   When the surgery is successful, you should expect that the scars will slowly fade, especially between six to twelve months after surgery.  After one year, the scars should be light, not obvious and difficult to see without a bright light.  

Scar treatment: If scars are slow to fade or are visible, there are many treatments and therapies to help them along. In our office, we take a comprehensive approach to treating these scars after surgery. This can include many options: silicone gels and strips, LED, IPL and laser therapies, deep needling, radio frequency treatments and steroid injections.  By mixing these treatments and therapies, we can ensure that you have the best possible healing of your scars after surgery.  Also, avoiding the things that make scarring worse, like smoking and sun exposure, is really important. Lastly, decreasing swelling after surgery can really help healing and make your scar fade quicker.