As with all procedures that require surgery, a breast lift — also known as mastopexy — involves a surgical incision made through the skin or flesh resulting in scars. Scarring is the skin's way of developing new tissues and healing an open wound. The degree to which everyone scars is different based on a patient’s individual anatomy. Fortunately, there are ways to manage unwanted scarring before, during, and after a breast lift in Scottsdale, AZ.
How to Minimize Scars from a Breast Lift
Your first step is to find a trained, experienced, and board-certified plastic surgeon, such as Guerra Plastic Surgery Center's very own Dr. Aldo Guerra. Browsing his photo gallery can help you review his previous work, determine what he is capable of, as well as identify the results you desire.
Ultimately, working with a trained and experienced plastic surgeon can decrease your risk of complications known to cause scarring. Every patient is different in how their skin scars and heals. A proficient surgeon can teach you ways to protect and handle your skin post-surgery.
Continue reading to know more about the different breast lift techniques available, the scars they might leave, and how to lessen their appearance.
Varying Techniques Create Different Scars
When it comes to skin scarring, not all mastopexies are equal. Your plastic surgeon can recommend a specific breast lift according to your needs and the best long-term results, which can include altering the size, shape, and sagginess of your breasts.
Below are the different techniques available.
What is a Crescent Lift?
The crescent lift is the smallest of the scars. A surgeon creates one small incision with this technique, which runs halfway across the topmost edge of the areola (nipple).
This technique works best for women with a very slight sag. However, it is often reserved for patients who are also getting breast augmentation. The lift helps to boost sagginess, while augmentation increases the size of your breasts.
What is a Periareolar Donut Lift?
If you have a little sagging, a surgeon might recommend a periareolar breast lift, also known as a donut lift due to its shape. Similar to a crescent breast lift, one incision is made, which somewhat minimizes the scar. This incision goes around the entire areola and helps to move and lift the nipple and areola to a higher position.
Surgeons often perform a donut breast lift in conjunction with augmentation. This technique is also beneficial for women looking to reduce the size of their nipples and areolas to a more youthful look.
Periareolar breast lift incision lines.
What is a Vertical Lollipop Lift?
A lollipop (vertical) lift works best for women who have moderate sagging and want to reshape their breasts alongside correcting any sag. A vertical lift is one of the most common types of breast lifts especially among mothers after having kids.
During the procedure, a plastic surgeon will create two incisions in each breast to aid in removing excess skin and reshape them. The first incision begins at the bottom of the areola and ends at the crease below the breast. And like the donut lift, the second incision goes around the nipple. The name "lollipop" comes from the incision shape a vertical lift creates as the end result.
Vertical Breast Lift incision lines.
What is an Anchor Lift?
If you have excessive breast sagging, a plastic surgeon may recommend an anchor lift or wise pattern lift. This technique involves the greatest degree of scars, but it also produces the most significant sagging correction and reshaping transformation. Here at Guerra Plastic Surgery Center, a wise pattern breast lift is a popular mastopexy technique.
During surgery, Dr. Guerra will create one horizontal incision along your breast crease. Next, he will make a second incision between the crease and the areola. The last incision is around the edges of the areola. The end result is an anchor-shaped incision. Because this surgery is more extensive and combines many types of breast lift techniques, it may result in more scarring.
Vertical Breast Lift incision lines.
What Your Scars Will Look Like
The incisions made during breast lift surgery are typically thin. Shortly after your wounds heal, you may notice a red, raised line along the incision site. Over time, the color of your scar should fade from red to pink, and then from pink to white. They should likewise flatten out in texture. This process of scar lightening often takes several months or up to a year after surgery. It is important to remember that every patient heals differently and at different rates. Your end result will not be the same as anyone else.
The Best and Fastest Treatment for Breast Lift Scars
In almost two decades of private practice, the most powerful scar therapy Dr. Guerra has come across is embrace® Active Scar Defense. Today, it is our leading treatment for all types of incision scars. embrace® is especially useful for addressing breast lift incisions. It reduces the tension in your skin allowing it to heal more effectively.
The treatment must be applied at a particular time — the remodeling phase of wound healing. In most cases, this phase does not occur until day 14 or even 21 after surgery.
Dr. Guerra and his highly-trained clinical team will see you once a week for the first three weeks, removing sutures and skin adhesives. Then, you can undergo scar therapy to achieve the best mastopexy results possible which can include lighter, thinner, and flatter scars than had you not used this scar therapy.
The Bottom Line
Getting a breast lift, as with any invasive procedure, can lead to some amount of scarring. However, the best way to prevent significant scars is to find an experienced plastic surgeon in this procedure. It also helps to learn as much as possible about mastopexies and scars, which this article hopes to accomplish for you.
Schedule a Consultation
Successful breast lift surgery and minimized scarring are among our priorities. To book your initial consultation for a breast lift in Phoenix, AZ, contact Guerra Plastic Surgery Center today by dialing 480-970-2580.
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