Will Breast Augmentation Scars Be Visible? Can Incisions Be Hidden?
Breast augmentation continues to be one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures in the United States. But what many patients don't understand is just how customized this procedure can actually be. For example, the location of the incision that is used to insert the implants can affect scarring after surgery, as well as the type of implant that can be placed.
At Dr. Michael Devlin's cosmetic surgery practice in Little Rock, AR, we discuss possible breast augmentation incision locations and scarring. After reading this post and meeting with Dr. Devlin for a consultation, you will have a better idea if breast augmentation scars will be visible and if incisions can be hidden.
TUBA Incision Approach
Dr. Devlin is one of the few plastic surgeons who performs transumbilical breast augmentation (TUBA). With this approach, Dr. Devlin creates an incision in the belly button. Next, Dr. Devlin guides the implant up under the abdominal skin and places the implant either above or below the pectoral muscle, according to your treatment plan.
While this treatment approach results in no scarring on the breasts (as well as virtually no visible scarring on the abdomen), it does come with some limitations. Because the implant shell needs to be inflated after it is inserted in the breast pocket, only saline implants can be used with this approach to breast augmentation.
Areolar Incision Approach
The areola incision approach can result in little scarring to the breasts. When using the areolar approach, the surgeon creates the incision where the outer edge of the areola meets the skin. Once the incision has closed and healed, there is virtually no scarring that is apparent on the breast. This is because any resulting scar blends in with the area where the areola meets the breast skin.
However, there are some limitations to the areola incision approach. While saline and silicone implants can be used with this incision technique, there can be some limitations with the size of certain implants. For example, very large silicone implants can't be inserted into the smaller incision that is created with this technique because they come pre-filled. Since saline implants are filled after they are placed in the breast pocket, larger saline implants can be used with this incisional approach. If you are interested in having large silicone implants placed, the inframammary incision technique may be best for you.
Inframammary Incision Approach
The inframammary incision approach offers many benefits for our Little Rock patients, in that all sizes and types of breast implants can be used. However, this technique does leave some scarring on the breasts. The incision is placed along the crease of the breast, where the bottom of the breast fold meets the rib cage. While the incision is not visible when patients are standing or sitting, it can become more noticeable if they are leaning back or lying down.
It is important to note that these scars do heal nicely and fade over time, and are not very noticeable. But, the larger the silicone implant that is placed, the longer the incision will be; this means that any resulting scar would be longer as well.
Contact Our Practice
Contact our practice in Little Rock to find out if you are a good candidate for breast augmentation.
