Before any plastic surgery procedure, it’s totally normal to be concerned about whether your operation will leave a scar.
Many procedures require incisions — and any incision through the skin can leave a scar.
This is not to say that your plastic surgery procedure will leave a noticeable scar. Trained surgeons, like Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Dr. Mark Bosbous, are experienced at making scars as minimal and naturalistic as possible. While scarring is a fact of life, there are ways surgery can be done to ensure the scarring is minor and, often, not noticeable.
In order to achieve this, questions about scarring should be part of your consultation, surgical plan, and recovery plan.
In this article, we’ll explain why scarring happens after plastic surgery, how you can plan for it, and what you can do to make sure your plastic surgery scars are as minimal and unnoticeable as possible.
Why Do Scars Happen?
Scars are part of the body’s natural healing process after surgery or injury. As the body heals, it replaces the affected area with new tissue. While this happens, the area can be influenced by manifold different factors: inflammation, aftercare, the location of the incision, one’s personal healing tendencies, and more.
This explains why scars look different on different people. Some seem to naturally scar in a way that’s near-impossible to see; others have thick, raised scars that draw attention. Neither is healthier than the other, but those concerned about plastic surgery scarring may be scared that their body will leave them with a prominent line indicating where their surgery took place.
How Can Your Surgeon Minimize Scars?
Scars are not an afterthought for plastic surgeons. In fact, factoring in scarring is an essential part of the surgical planning process. This is why incision placement is carefully considered, with surgeons often opting for natural creases in the skin or easily-concealable areas as their points of entry.
Incision placement is not the only thing that affects scarring. Surgical technique plays an important role; excessive tension can contribute to wider or thicker scars, while careful closure and protection of the incision during early healing can reduce the prominence of scars.
These factors are why patients are often told to limit strenuous activity following surgery. If they’re not careful, they can increase tension and cause wound separation — in turn widening their scar.
What Should Your Scar Look Like During Healing?
If you notice soon after your surgery that you’re developing a thick, dark scar, don’t panic. Early scars are often much more noticeable than mature scars. They can look substantially different from the surrounding skin — but, over the course of about a year, the color and look of the scar will begin to blend with the skin around it.
As healing is a long, gradual process, judging your scar too early can be misleading. That said, if you’re concerned about your scar, or if it becomes painful, thick, raised, or itchy, you should reach out to your surgeon. From there, they can determine if what you’re experiencing is part of the normal healing process or if something is amiss.
How Can I Reduce Scarring?
To reduce your chances of developing a noticeable scar, you should follow your surgeon’s instructions as closely as possible.
In general, this involves practicing good wound care. This means keeping the incision clean, following dressing instructions, avoiding unnecessary tension, and not using scar products until your incision has closed — though these directions may vary from your surgeon’s specific plan.
Another good piece of advice to follow is having good sun protection practices. Cover the area to prevent sun exposure, and when the wound heals, one should use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher.
Don’t Worry About Scarring
If you’re concerned about scarring, you should bring this up to your surgeon during your consultation. At this time, your surgeon will explain how they plan to manage your scarring and what practices you can follow to ensure your scarring is as minimal as possible.
That said, you do not need to panic about plastic surgery scars. If you plan your surgery carefully and follow your surgeon’s advice, your scarring is likely to be minimal or easily covered. Additionally, many find that the benefit of having the look they’ve always wanted outweighs any scarring fears.
If you’re thinking about plastic surgery, reach out today and schedule a consultation. We can help you make a plan for the body of your dreams — all while keeping your scarring to a minimum.