January 16, 2025 | 6 minute read
Breast lifts are the best option for rejuvenating sagging breasts, but traditional methods can leave visible scars. This blog will discuss what factors cause large scars, what various breast lift scars look like, and the benefits of the new L-scar “scarless” breast lift technique from Dr. Pasquale Tolomeo.
Does a Breast Lift Leave a Scar?
If your breasts have lost their perky, rounded shape of youth due to aging, pregnancy, breastfeeding, or weight fluctuations, a breast lift might be the procedure for you. A breast lift, or mastopexy, is a cosmetic procedure that lifts the breasts higher on the chest, removes excess skin, and can reshape the nipples for a rejuvenated result.
More and more women are turning to this procedure to get their breasts back to the way they used to be. Because a breast lift alone doesn’t increase volume, women are also combining their breast lifts with breast augmentation, adding a shapely improvement to their cup size with implants and a lift.
Sounds perfect, right? Well, it almost is—the one drawback of breast lifts is the prospect of scarring afterward, and women want to know: is it possible to have a breast lift without the scars?
Not exactly, but with an advanced technique by Dr. Pasquale Tolomeo, breast lift scars are not as evident as they used to be.
Does a Breast Lift Always Leave Scars?
Scars are an inevitable part of surgery, elective or not. Whenever an incision is made on the body, there is the possibility of scarring. Now, there is plenty of grey area here, as many cosmetic surgery patients’ scars end up so light and thin they are almost invisible. There are just some factors that play into the development and severity of scar tissue after cosmetic surgery:
- Incision placement. When you have emergency surgery, the incision goes where it goes—aesthetics are not taken into account. But when you have cosmetic surgery, your surgeon plans incisions specifically so they aren’t that visible. There are some parameters to this, of course, as they need to access the treatment area relatively easily, but with advances in technique and technology, there are more options available.
- Surgical skill. Messily closing up incisions can result in a rough or jagged scar. However, cosmetic surgeons are specifically trained in making things beautiful—and not just your end result. Everything, from straight incisions to neat sutures, adds up to the final result. A good cosmetic surgeon will apply those aesthetic principles to everything they do, including closing up your incisions.
- Aftercare. Once you go home, your scar care falls on you! Your surgeon can give you the most beautiful, uniform sutures in the world, but if you ignore their aftercare instructions, you can end up endangering your health, your results, and your healing process. Some scar-inducing mistakes include working out too soon or pushing yourself physically, as rapid movement and stress on the incision site can cause the healing tissues to stretch, resulting in a darker or bigger scar. Sun exposure is another culprit, as this leads to a darker scar. Protect your surgical site and scar with SPF for at least a year (or, ideally, always).
What Do Breast Lift Scars Look Like?
Out of the above factors, your chance of a faint scar begins with the incision. Traditional breast lift incisions include:
- The donut incision runs in a circle around the areola. Out of the traditional incisions, this results in the most discreet scar, but you can only fix very mild sagging, and you cannot add breast implants.
- The lollipop incision encircles the areola as well, then runs in a vertical line down to the bottom of the breast. This option is best for moderate sagging.
- The anchor incision allows for the most revision of sagging and is most commonly used when combining a breast lift with augmentation. This incision encircles the areola, runs vertically toward the bottom of the breast, then spans horizontally underneath the breast to the inframammary line.
The Multiplane L-Scar Augmentation Mastopexy: The Best Minimal Scar Option for Breast Lifts
Because the anchor incision allows for the most revision for sagging and lifting and can include breast implants, it’s clearly the preferred option for plastic and cosmetic surgeons. However, it leads to a problem that many patients want to avoid: a visible scar.
Specifically, the part of the horizontal lines that run toward the center of the chest; there’s one on each side, each pointing inward. These two lines can be visible in very low-cut tops, bathing suits, and lingerie, and many patients are rightfully frustrated that they have this scar when they want to show off their new breasts!
Dr. Pasquale Tolomeo has an answer for that: the multiplane L-scar augmentation mastopexy. After training in this new technique, Dr. Tolomeo is one of the only cosmetic surgeons in the U.S. offering this scarless breast lift option to his patients.
by Dr. Tolomeo
What Is the Scarless Breast Lift?
The multiplane L-scar mastopexy gives patients the best of both worlds: it allows for significant revision of sagging (like the anchor), it allows for the placement of implants, and there is no visible scar on the inside of the chest!
Rather than the inverted T incision, the L-scar mastopexy uses what looks like a backward L: the incision runs down from the areola and then extends from the midpoint of the breast toward the outer edge of the breast. This allows for the necessary revision of sagging skin and tissue but with a shorter incision, resulting in no visible scar in bathing suits or low-cut tops.
Want to Learn More About The No Scar Breast Lift in Fall River, MA?
Dr. Tolomeo is a triple board-certified cosmetic surgeon specializing in breast enhancement surgery like the multiplane L-scar breast lift technique and advanced body contouring. Call Dr. Tolomeo today at (516) 350-8186 or fill out the contact form to request a consultation.
