As with most surgeries, a breast lift requires an incision in the skin of the breast. When you have an incision, the body adds new tissue to the area in order to heal the wound. While this is very efficient, it also puts you at risk for scarring after a breast lift. However, there are things you can do to help minimize your scarring and keep your breasts looking beautiful. But what will breast lift scars after one year look like? It all depends on the type of breast lift you have and how you take care of your breasts during recovery.
Scar Location Depends on the Type of Breast Lift
Scars from a breast lift will appear as a raised, red line after post-op, but then flatten and become less noticeable over time. The location of your scars will depend on what type of breast lift you receive, as each option utilizes different surgical incisions. The four breast lift incision types include:
- Crescent Lift – This option involves a small incision that follows the upper half of the areola.
- Donut Lift – This option involves an incision that completely circles the areola.
- Lollipop Lift – Also known as the vertical lift, this procedure involves a circular incision around the areola and another incision that runs from the areola straight down to where the breast meets the chest wall.
- Anchor Lift – This option involves the most scarring but is perhaps the most common breast lift In addition to the circular incision around the areola and a vertical line down the breast, this lift includes an additional incision that extends horizontally underneath the breast.
Minimizing Your Breast Lift Scars
Scars from your breast lift are likely to look their worst at 2 to 3 months post-surgery but should fade to a pale purple by the one-year mark. In order to help minimize your scarring, there are some tips to follow during your recovery. These include:
- Wear support garments as directed by your surgeon.
- Apply silicone treatments or creams as directed by your surgeon.
- Gentle massage, after the scabbing is complete, can help distribute collagen, helping to soften and flatten the scar.
- Eating healthy helps promote tissue healing.
- Avoid alcohol and smoking as these can hinder the natural healing process, affecting the appearance of your scars.
While completely avoiding scars is impossible with any surgical procedure, the scars created by a breast lift should be minimal and following aftercare instructions can help further minimize their appearance.
Dr. David Kaufman earned a bachelor of science degree from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, graduating with distinction, the highest academic honor. As an active duty naval special warfare officer, he served our nation for four years, including duty in Operation Desert Storm. He then attended Harvard Medical School, receiving his medical doctor degree in 1996. From there, he entered and completed postdoctoral surgical training in a combined general and plastic surgery residency at Stanford University Medical Center.
A board-certified plastic surgeon and member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Dr. Kaufman’s diverse surgical experience and skill enables him to choose procedures and techniques to best suit each patient. Consider him and his practice, Kaufman Plastic Surgery, if you are looking for a plastic surgeon in the Sacramento area.
