Many women are worried about scarring after breast augmentation. They worry that scarring could diminish or undermine the improved breast appearance they hope to achieve. Although this is an important concern, most women experience good healing and have only small lines to tell about the operation. And even if a woman experiences negative scarring, appropriate placement of incisions will ensure that any scars are well concealed under most types of clothing, including underwear and swimsuits.
How Much Scarring?
It is really impossible to predict how much scarring you will have from your breast augmentation procedure. Some variables that go into scarring include:
- Your doctor’s technique
- Your skin quality
- Your health and nutrition before and after surgery
- How well you care for your incision after surgery
- Genetic factors
Every person scars differently, so the best way to get an idea about what scarring you might be able to expect is to look at previous scarring.
By the time you begin to consider breast augmentation with breast implants, you most likely have one or more scars on your body from various injuries or even surgery growing up. Consider these scars to be the upper limit of what you might expect from your breast augmentation. Depending on the source of your scar, the wound might never have been treated, or, if it was treated, it might have been treated by a doctor who was not particularly concerned about minimizing the scar. Most likely, the scars from your breast augmentation will be less visible than these other scars. However, statistics show that women tend to have an increased risk of keloid–overgrown, raised, sometimes painful scars–from age 10 to age 30. Be sure to note whether anyone in your family has had this type of scarring and talk to your plastic surgeon about it, because it indicates you are at increased risk.
Where Will My Scar Be?
There are three common incisions used during breast augmentation:
- At the breast crease
- Just below the areola (the colored skin around the nipple)
- In the armpit
For most women, the breast crease is the best place for concealing an incision. If you have sufficient breast volume before or plan to have sufficient after, incision at the breast crease are well concealed.
For women with less breast volume, an incision at the areola is well concealed in the change in color and texture.
Some women want to avoid having an incision on the breast, but if you are at a risk for keloid scarring, it may not be a good location for you. If you do experience an adverse scar, remember that this will be a very visible location and may be an embarrassment whenever you wear sleeveless dresses, tops, or swimsuits.
Scarring–How Much Risk?
Overall, studies show that between five and eight percent of women experience adverse scarring as a result of their breast augmentation procedure. Since it is possible to conceal most scars beneath clothing, this makes it a relatively minor risk.
More common and more serious risks include reoperation (up to 30%), capsular contracture (up to 16%), and loss of nipple sensation (up to 10%). It is important to talk to your doctor about all risks before deciding whether breast augmentation is right for you.
If you live in the Washington, D.C. area, and would like to learn more about breast augmentation, please visit the website of The Austin-Weston Center for Cosmetic Surgery. Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/plastic-surgeries-articles/scarring-after-breast-augmentation-1594932.html
