Question:
I need input on the issue of scarring from plastic surgery
Ok this is going to sound weird. I had a lower body lift and a brachioplasty. The lower body lift scar goes all the way around my body, looks like the magician cut me in half and sewed me back together again. The scar is really thin, the brachioplasty scar is a little puckered looking but is improving, goes armpit to elbow. I will hopefully be having a thigh lift in the spring, a scar will be on my inner thighs vertically to take it in and around my groin to pull it up. I am considering a breast lift and augmentation, My dr said he can do what is called a peri aureolar lift which would have a thin scar just around my nipple. here is my question, How much is too much? I am afraid anyone who sees me naked will be thinking I will look like the bride of Frankenstien with the scarring. My husband refuses to comment, will not say a word one way or the other. he only says it is your decision, do what makes you feel good. I guess I want to know what do you think. If you were a guy would you just like the results or would you be freaked out by the scars? — **willow** (posted on October 26, 2004)
October 26, 2004
I had a complete lower body lift (cut all the way around), breast lift, arm
lift and inner thigh lift and would NOT change anything about my decisions
to have so many scars. I'm one year post-op LBL so the circumferential
scar is white and fine and, yes, you can see it of course, but it's a lot
better looking than the scarpei rolls of chronic rashes between the prior
belly rolls. Same for arms. Last Summer, people stared at the hanging
skin on my arms and thighs to the point that I wore long sleeves/pants in
the middle of Summer in Los Angeles. This year, people are looking, but
not at the hanging skin or fat but because (for the first time in my life),
I attract attention. Been married for 35 years and my husband feels like
he has his teenage wife back. Would make the same decisions if I had to do
it all over again!
— Vicki S.
October 26, 2004
Hi Willow, I just had breast reduction, and my aerolas were probably done
like your ps is sugesting to you. They us a "cookie cutter" to
make the areolas about the size of a quarter, and a "key hole"
cut on the bottom underside of the breast. I am 22 days post op, and the
scar around the areola is totaly invisable, and the keyhole is closed to
one incesion straight down the breast. It to is fairly invisable, so
actualy when I look in the mirror I cant see any incesions on the breast at
all. I am very pleased with my breast, and they look natural and fit my
body. Rosemary
— wizz40
October 26, 2004
the breast lift is not the key hole incision, rather what is called a donut
lift, or Benelli lift. It only goes around the aureola.
— **willow**
October 26, 2004
I've had a tt, modified brachioplasty, inner thigh lift and will be having
a breast lift in January. My tt scar is gone. The brachioplasty scars are
about 80% gone. The inner thigh lift was just done in May, but the scars
are healing nicely. I guess what I'm trying to say is scars fade with
time. I would rather have faded scars then all of the nasty excess skin
that I had before.
— Patty H.
October 26, 2004
I had a breast reduction over a year ago. The scar around the auriola is
absolutely invisible, and was pretty much from the beginning. It just
blends with the darker coloring around the nipple...pretty amazing.
— Leslie F.
October 27, 2004
Willow... you asked how much is too much. NOTHING IS TOO MUCH! We suffered
all our lives with all the slappin fat, and now that it is going/gone, I
think we DESERVE the right to have a beautiful body. Furthermore, if the
person you are with does not like the scars... GET RID OF HIM and find
someone else who does. We have settled all our lives for people who do not
appreciate who we are, what we look like, and our feelings. NO MORE! You
had WLS for yourself, and you were successful! Go for it... you don't owe
anyone an explanation nor should you base your decision on whether to have
it on anyone else's opinion no matter who they are!
(That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!)
:-)... Spyder
— SpyderS
October 27, 2004
Hey Willow, with today's advanced in scar medication you can fade scars
VERY well, especially if you take care of yourself during the healing
process so that you do not open or stretch the incisions! Have you tried
Maderma or any other prescription medication for scars yet?
— MagickalMom
October 27, 2004
My husband feels the same way. He supports whatever I decide to do with
PS. We refer to my body as looking like a teddy bear that's been sewn back
up repeatedly. I am cut all the way around down low, LBL, and also at the
bra line, sort of an upper body lift. My LBL had to be done in two stages
and the excess above the waist had to be pulled up and cut off. I also
have the anchor incision connecting the two. I'm having my legs done 2
weeks from today. I am not thrilled with the idea of those incisions but
it is the ONLY way to remove the excess skin in my case. I've already had
4 liters of fat lipo'd out of the legs in preparation for the skin removal
and still have tons to remove. Most likely I will also need my LBL
incision opened up in the future and one last vertical pull up of
everything done. The massive weight in my legs ended up pulling on the LBL
work and stretching some of it loose. To get the best result on the legs I
will need a vertical lift after the healing of the skin removal. At the
same time the lateral thighs will need a final pull up and the butt too. I
won't need any work done on the aree above the LBL scar, only below.
Gravity really can be a bear. LOL
<p>In my case it would have made sense to do the legs first and get
rid of all that skin and then start on the rest, but neither I or the
surgeon realized it. Besides I had insurance approval for the tummy and
did not want to lose that. Live and learn. Fortunately the revisions are
much less work and muy surgeon has gone out of his way to help my make the
revisions a minimal cost. So far he has done his work for free, even
though the problem has nothing to do with how he did his work, but with the
quality of my skin etc. All I've had to cover so far has been the facility
and anesthesiology charges. It's still money but much less than it would
be.
<p>I'm finding the longer I am out that things continue to fade, so
over time they will be less and less noticeable, so go for whatever you
want and wear whatever scars you end up with, with pride, as it shows how
far you have come!!
— zoedogcbr
October 27, 2004
Breast scarring has a different impact than scarring anywhere else. Women
can be emotionally unaffected by scars elsewhere, but can be upset about
the exact same scars on their breasts. Be sure you see your surgeon's LAST
5 Benelli patient's scars at 6 months and a year out.
— DrL
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