If you’re considering breast reduction, you’ve probably already considered the cost of surgery. But what about the cost of scarring? Laser for breast reduction scars can be a great way to reduce the appearance of your scars after breast reduction surgery. Laser treatments help to lighten and fade scars, reducing their visibility and making them easier to hide with clothing. In addition, laser treatments can also help prevent hypertrophic scarring (raised, red scars) from developing in the first place.
If you’re considering laser treatment for your breast reduction scars, start by talking with your surgeon about their recommendations for treatment after your surgery. Your surgeon may recommend waiting until six months post-surgery before starting treatments, but some surgeons will recommend starting sooner than six months post-surgery if you have scarring that’s bothering you right now.
Read on to learn more about Laser For Breast Reduction Scars, What the Scar Will Look Like After Breast Reduction
Laser For Breast Reduction Scars
Laser skin resurfacing is an effective treatment for scars and other skin imperfections. The laser is used to remove unwanted tissue and regenerate new, healthy tissue. The procedure can be used to treat breast reduction scars, stretch marks and many other types of scarring.
Breast reduction surgery is one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries performed in America today. Many women who have undergone this procedure develop large, red scars as a result of surgical lacerations and incisions during the operation. These unsightly scars can be difficult to hide under clothing and may cause anxiety among patients who are self-conscious about their bodies.
Fortunately, there are several options available for treating these types of scars with laser resurfacing and other methods that can reduce the appearance of scars by stimulating collagen production underneath the skin’s surface or by removing damaged tissue from the area altogether.
Laser For Breast Reduction Scars
Laser treatments for scars are most effective for red, raised scars and less effective for flat, white scars. They’re also not a good option if you have thick, dark or raised scars that cover a large area.
Laser treatments can help with the following types of scars:
Acne scars
Burn scars
Stretch marks
Wounds from surgeries or injuries
Laser For Breast Reduction Scars
Laser for breast reduction scars is an effective treatment for red and purple scarring, and it can also improve the appearance of white or silver scars. The procedure is ideal for women who have had breast reduction surgery and want to improve their scars.
Laser For Breast Reduction Scars With UltraPulse Technology
The UltraPulse laser works by breaking down the scar tissue, which causes the scar to shrink. The process takes about five minutes per area being treated. A cooling device will be applied to your skin to help minimize any discomfort during treatment. You can expect your recovery time to be about three days but you may experience some mild swelling in the treated areas for up to two weeks after treatment.
Laser For Breast Reduction Scars
Laser for Breast Reduction Scars
The laser treatments that are most commonly used to treat scars from breast reduction surgery are ablative fractional resurfacing (i.e., CO 2 laser) and non-ablative fractional resurfacing (i.e., Fraxel). Both of these techniques can improve the appearance of scarring after breast reduction surgery. In fact, in a study published in 2016, investigators found that patients who received at least one treatment of non-ablative fractional resurfacing had fewer postoperative complications and less pain than those who did not receive any skin rejuvenation treatments.
The primary benefit of ablative fractional resurfacing is that it can remove deeper layers of skin and achieve better results than non-ablative fractional resurfacing. However, it also has a higher risk of side effects, such as hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation (over or under pigmentation).
Laser hair removal is an effective treatment for reducing the appearance of breast reduction scars. While laser hair removal can be used alone, it is often combined with other procedures to provide additional benefits.
Laser hair removal works by targeting the melanin in the hair follicle, or root, and destroying it. This prevents new hair growth and reduces the amount of current hair on the body.
The procedure targets microscopic areas of unwanted hair throughout the body. These include foreheads, upper lips and cheeks, necks, underarms, bikini lines and more.
Since lasers target dark pigment in skin tissue, they are most effective on people with darker skin types (Fitzpatrick type IV or V). However, some lasers have been designed to work on all Fitzpatrick types (1-6).
The most common laser used for removing unwanted facial hair is called a diode laser. Diode lasers use high-energy light pulses that pass through clear glass filters before reaching the target area. The light then interacts with cells containing melanin (the pigment responsible for tanning) to produce heat and destroy them.
What the Scar Will Look Like After Breast Reduction
Scarring from surgical incisions appears as a thin, raised line on the surface of the skin. This is referred to as scar tissue. At first, the area seems to be red or pink in color, but the scar will darken and soften as it heals. Your breast reduction scars, after 6 months, may start to diminish. If you have darker skin, you may be more prone to hyperpigmentation or bigger elevated scars such as hypertrophic or keloidal scars.
The appearance will vary depending on the size of the scar. In the latter case, you will have three scars rather than two. Incisions made along the breast crease may be less obvious due to their horizontal form and concealment within the breast crease or bra line.
Additionally, breast reductions scars after 1 year should not be evident when wearing a bikini top or bra anymore. In minimal clothing, some scarring along the breast crease may be seen following an anchor breast reduction.
The Takeaway
Breast reduction scars are unavoidable, but only to a certain extent. With the correct surgeon, post-reduction scarring may be minimal.
Before selecting a plastic surgeon, request a portfolio of their breast reduction work to view before and after photographs. This can provide insight into their level of skill and the depth of scarring following surgery. Lastly, your plastic surgeon can provide you with recommendations on caring for the incision areas to aid in the healing process.
Who Is a Good Candidate For Laser Resurfacing?
If you have fine lines or wrinkles around your eyes or mouth or on your forehead, shallow scars from acne, or non-responsive skin after a facelift, then you may be a good candidate for laser skin resurfacing.
If you have acne or if you have very dark skin, you may not be a candidate. This technique is also not recommended for stretch marks. You should discuss whether laser resurfacing is right for you by consulting with the doctor before having the procedure done.
How Does Laser Skin Resurfacing Work?
The several types of lasers most commonly used in laser resurfacing are carbon dioxide (CO2) and erbium. Each laser vaporizes skin cells damaged at the surface-level.
CO2 Laser Resurfacing
This method has been used for years to treat different skin issues, including wrinkles, scars, warts, enlarged oil glands on the nose, and other conditions.
The newest version of CO2 laser resurfacing (fractionated CO2) uses very short pulsed light energy (known as ultrapulse) or continuous light beams that are delivered in a scanning pattern to remove thin layers of skin with minimal heat damage. Recovery takes up to two weeks.
Erbium Laser Resurfacing
Erbium laser resurfacing is designed to remove surface-level and moderately deep lines and wrinkles on the face, hands, neck, or chest. One of the benefits of erbium laser resurfacing is minimal burning of surrounding tissue. This laser causes fewer side effects — such as swelling, bruising, and redness — so your recovery time should be faster than with CO2 laser resurfacing. In some cases, recovery may only take one week. Ask your doctor how long recovery is likely to take for you.
If you have a darker skin tone, erbium laser resurfacing may work better for you.
Pulse-Dye Lasers
Sometimes called a vascular laser, pulse-dye lasers are used to treat skin issues related to your blood vessels. This is a good option is you have issues with reduce redness, hyperpigmentation, broken capillaries, and rosacea. The lasers are typically non-ablative and use a concentrated yellow light to heat the skin and absorb pigments.
Fractional Lasers
Fractional lasers target only a fraction of the skin at a times. This option can be used to treat a number of age-related blemishes, get rid of hyperpigmentation, acne scars, and wrinkles. The laser energy is broken into thousands of tiny beams to treat only a fraction of the skin in the area, which reduces downtime. Fractional lasers can be ablative or non-ablative.
IPL (intense pulsed light)
Technically, IPL (intense pulsed light) treatments are not lasers but are often used to treat several of the same skin issues as lasers. The technique uses light energy to target a certain color in you skin. It can be used to help repair scarring, sun damage, stretch marks, acne, rosacea, birthmarks, and hyperpigmentation, as well as to get rid of unwanted hair.
Preparing for Laser Resurfacing
Start by consulting a plastic surgeon or dermatologist to find out if you’re a good candidate. Be sure to choose a doctor who has documented training and experience in laser skin resurfacing. The doctor will determine which laser treatment is best for you after considering your medical history, current health, and desired results.
Tell the doctor if you get cold sores or fever blisters around your mouth. Laser skin resurfacing can trigger breakouts in people who are at risk.
If you decide to go ahead with laser skin resurfacing, your doctor will ask you to avoid taking any medications or supplements that can affect clotting — such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or vitamin E — for 10 days before surgery.
If you smoke, you should stop for two weeks before and after the procedure. Smoking can prolong healing.
Your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic beforehand to prevent bacterial infections and also an antiviral medication if you are prone to cold sores or fever blisters.
What to Expect
Generally, laser resurfacing is an outpatient procedure, meaning there is no overnight stay.
The doctor may treat individual wrinkles around your eyes, mouth, or forehead or treat your entire face. For small areas, the doctor will numb the areas to be treated with a local anesthetic. The doctor may also sedate you. You may get general anesthesia if your whole face is being treated.
If the doctor is just treating parts of your face, the procedure will take about 30 to 45 minutes. A full-face treatment takes up to two hours.
Following the laser procedure, the doctor will bandage the treated area. Starting 24 hours after treatment, you will need to clean the treated area four to five times a day. Then you’ll need to apply an ointment, such as petroleum jelly, to prevent scabs from forming. This wound care is intended to prevent any scab formation. In general, the areas heal in 10 to 21 days, depending on the condition that was treated.
It’s normal to have swelling after laser skin resurfacing. Your doctor may prescribe steroids to manage swelling around your eyes. Sleeping on an extra pillow at night to elevate your head can help ease swelling. Putting an ice pack on the treated area also helps to reduce swelling in the first 24 to 48 hours after laser resurfacing.
You may feel itching or stinging for 12 to 72 hours after the procedure. Five to seven days after laser resurfacing, your skin will become dry and peel.
Once the skin heals, you can wear oil-free makeup to minimize redness, which usually fades in two to three months.
You will probably notice that your skin is lighter for a while after surgery. It is particularly important that you use a “broad-spectrum” sunscreen, which screens ultraviolet B and ultraviolet A rays, to protect your skin during that time. When selecting a sunscreen, look for one specially formulated for use on the face. It should have a physical blocker, such as zinc oxide. and a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher. Also limit your time in the sun, especially between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wearing a broad-brimmed hat can help protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays.
It is also important to keep your new skin well moisturized. If you use Retin A or glycolic acid products, you should be able to start using them again about six weeks after the procedure or when the doctor says you can.
Once the treated areas have healed, you can wear makeup to hide the pink to red color that is typically seen after laser skin resurfacing. Green-based make-ups are particularly suitable for this camouflage since they neutralize the red color. Oil-free make-ups are recommended after laser resurfacing. The redness in the laser treated sites generally fades in two to three months. But it may take as long as six months for the redness to completely disappear. Redness generally lasts longer in people with fair skin.
People with darker skin tones are more likely to get darker pigmentation. Using a bleaching agent before and after laser skin resurfacing may minimize that – as well as strict sun avoidance with use of a daily broad-spectrum sunscreen.