When women choose to have a breast lift, it’s usually for one very simple reason: They want to subtly yet significantly enhance the appearance of their breasts, minimizing sagging and potentially adding a little volume, in the process.
That’s what makes the presence of scarring such an important consideration; after all, the whole point of a breast lift is to make your breasts look better. Too much scarring could defeat the entire purpose of the procedure.
When you choose the excellent care and consideration of Charlotte Plastic Surgery’s physicians, we’ll talk to you at length about what you can expect from breast lift scars; and, we’ll talk you through the steps our surgeons take to keep that scarring at a minimum.
In the meantime, here’s a quick guide to breast lift scarring; our goal here is simply to provide patients with an accurate but general sense of what they can expect post-surgery.
Breast Lift vs. Breast Augmentation: Defining the Terms
First, it’s important to make a distinction between two very common but very different procedures, the breast lift, and the breast augmentation.
When most women think about having breast surgery, what they’re thinking about is an augmentation; that is, the addition of volume via breast implants.
A breast lift is a little bit different. This has less to do with the volume of the breasts and more to do with their shape and position on the chest. Specifically, a breast lift procedure involves repositioning the nipple to a more elevated place on the breast mound, which can give the breasts a fuller appearance and also reverse some of the effects of “sagging,” whether incurred through pregnancy, breastfeeding, or simply the passage of time.
Many women ultimately end up having both procedures done at the same time; for our purposes today, we’re simply going to look at the breast lift.
Breast Lift Scars: What Should Patients Expect?
Scarring is probably the single biggest concern women have before having a breast lift surgery performed.
The level of scarring can vary somewhat depending on the kind of incision made; this is something that’s largely dependent on how radically the woman wants to change her breasts. Smaller changes will typically require smaller incisions and vice versa.
With that said, most of the patients we see end up having scarring that is minimal. Additionally, much of the scarring may take place under the breast crease, which means it won’t be very visible. Finally, note that scarring will tend to fade over time.
A big part of our job is to help alleviate the anxieties that women feel about having a breast lift, and that certainly includes allaying fears over breast implant scars. To do that, we’re always happy to provide breast lift before and after photos of past patients, allowing our patients to see for themselves exactly what kind of healed breast lift scars they can expect with their desired result.
Most of the women who see these photos feel highly relieved and much more confident in pursuing a breast lift; but of course, we’re always eager to answer specific questions or to provide any additional information to set our patients’ minds at ease.
Recovering from a Breast Lift Surgery
As you think about ways to keep your breast lift scars to a minimum and to ensure that your end results are just what you’d hoped for, it’s important to be mindful about the postoperative recovery process. The more time you give yourself to rest, relax, and follow the doctor’s orders, the more seamlessly your body can recover from the surgery.
The breast lift is an outpatient procedure. Most of the time, the procedure itself can be performed in around two hours; following this, the patient will spend about an hour in the recovery room. From there, our patients are free to head home.
There is some discomfort involved with the breast lift, but it’s fairly minimal; the vast majority of our patients say that the discomfort is resolved within a matter of days.
From there, it’s simply a matter of allowing yourself some time for the incisions to heal. We’ll recommend you come in for some follow-up appointments so that our surgeons can verify you’re recovering as intended, and that any visible scarring is as minor and as discreet as can be.
Addressing Your Concerns
We can honestly say that, here at Charlotte Plastic Surgery, most of our patients are extremely pleased with the results of their breast lift. In fact, the comment we hear most often is: I wish I’d done this a long time ago!
Certainly, we don’t want anyone to put off their decision to get a breast lift because they are worried about scarring, or about the recovery process. Again, our surgeons are happy to assuage your concerns and to provide you with some images to show you what you can expect in terms of your scarring.
It’s also worth noting that we have some technology we can use to help you get a good sense of what your breasts will actually look like when the process is complete. Using Vectra imaging, we can create 3-D images of your breasts and allow you to “try on” different virtual options. This eliminates a lot of uncertainty from the process and helps patients to feel far more assured and confident as they move into surgery.
Also note that, before the breast lift, we’ll always schedule a full consultation, where you can sit down with your surgeon, ask questions, and clarify expectations. During this consultation, we’ll also ensure that you’re qualified for the breast lift procedure and that there aren’t any red flags with regard to your personal health.
Schedule Your Breast Lift Consultation
If you’re ready to take the next steps toward enhancing your breasts, we invite you to reach out to Charlotte Plastic Surgery today. We’ll set you up with a one-on-one consultation, where you can learn everything you need to know about breast lifts, breast augmentation, recovery, after-care, and more.
Schedule your appointment by calling the offices of Charlotte Plastic Surgery at your next convenience.
