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How to Reduce the Appearance of Top Surgery Scars

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Surgeons operating on a patient.|A bowl of fresh greens and fruits flat lay

A lot of people are considering FTM (Female To Male) or FTN (Female to Non-binary) surgeries and it can easily be achieved with skilled surgeons and high-end technology. However, despite the fact that there are cutting-edge technologies used for FTM or FTNsurgeries, there are still obvious scarring and it can’t be avoided. While it can cause permanent scarring, a lot of people still undergo this surgery and enjoy the results afterwards. Through this extensive article, you will be able to learn how to get rid of surgery scars, how to prevent surgery scars, and different kinds of top surgery scarring

Surgeons operating on a patient.

What Is An FTM or FTN Surgery?

Top surgery is a reconstructive surgery performed on the chest for the individuals who wish to change their chest size, shape, and generally speaking, their overall appearance and gender they want to be shown. This surgery is commonly performed by a plastic surgery specialist that has an explicit background in transgender or gender-affirming medical procedures.This surgery should be possible for people hoping to accomplish a more manly look or flat chest, or for people looking for a progressively ladylike with a measured plumped and shaped chest.

For the FTM or FTN, the procedure continues by removing the breast tissue and carefully sculpting the chest to look more masculine and have this natural male flatness look. Usually, this type of surgery takes around 1.5 hours to 4 hours and the techniques used by seasoned plastic surgeons use are double incision, periareolar, and keyhole.

Different Kinds Of Surgeries For FTM or FTN

Double Incision

Double incision top surgery with nipple grafts, and also called a bilateral mastectomy with nipple grafts, is a method usually suggested for individuals with bigger chests and bodies. These are the information you need to know as well:

  • This particular surgery usually results in a loss of nipple sensitivity and more obvious scarring.
  • This surgery is normally an outpatient surgery that takes somewhere in the range of 3 and 4 hours for the specialist to perform.
  • If done, the nipples are extracted, normally much smaller in size, and situated on the chest to match a more masculine or manly appearance that the patient aims for.
  • Bigger chest requires a bigger incision to address the excess skin and tissue. This method usually involves a horizontal or U-shaped incision set just underneath the chest muscle and will have more top surgery scarring compared to others. Another cut is also done to relocate the nipples for a more masculine look.

Periareolar Surgery

Periareolar top surgery, otherwise called peri or also known as circumareolar, is a kind of surgery commonly prescribed for women with smaller chest sizes (around size A or B cup) preceding surgery. Here's what you should know about this surgery:

  • This system is typically an outpatient surgery that takes somewhere in the range of 3 and 5 hours to finish.
  • A great many people can keep up the greater part of or the entirety of their nipple sensation after recuperation — however, a lot of people say that they experience loss of nipple sensation in the days following surgery.
  • While periareolar top surgery gives you less noticeable and less obvious scarring, individuals expect revisions to accomplish a totally level chest around almost 40-60 percent of the time.
  • Patients with smaller or medium-sized chests will likely have lesser top surgery scars from this surgery. Entry points expand totally around the fringe of the nipple.

Keyhole Surgery

Keyhole top surgery is suggested for individuals with exceptionally small chests and tight chest skin. Here's what you should know:

  • Not many people are good contestants for keyhole top surgery on the grounds that there's little to no excess skin that can be removed to flatten the chest.
  • To reach a satisfying and level outcome for this kind of surgery, you should meet the criteria of having a little chest and tight chest skin.
  • This surgery is usually an outpatient surgery that takes somewhere in the range of 1.5 and 3 hours.This kind of surgery usually have no noticeable top surgery scarring and retains the sensation for nipples, yet doesn't give the chance for the nipples to be repositioned on the chest to make it look more masculine.
A bowl of fresh greens and fruits flat lay

How to Prevent Surgery Scars

There are different kinds of top surgery scars and depth, as well as different body reactions to surgeries and how their scars heal. There are different ways you can take care of your top surgery scars and have it heal to a more less obvious scar.Other people leave their scars to heal by itself, but some people are concerned with the top surgery scars because of lighter skin. Here are the best ways on how to prevent surgery scars:

  • The best kind of ointment for people with past scars healing nicely would be the Medical Grade Silicone Gel (Biocorneum®) and a massage. When you massage this on your top surgery scars for 2 to 5 minutes regularly, your scar will likely heal better into something less obvious.
  • There’s also Mechanical Scar Reduction Therapy (Embrace®) for people who have wide and thicker scar healings from the past and has a darker complexion. These are nifty patches that can be applied by professional staff or by yourself for every 10 to 14 days for a duration of 8 weeks.
  • If you’re a heavy smoker, try to avoid smoking as much as possible while healing. Try to skip smoking for 3 to 6 weeks before and after surgery to make it easier for your body to heal. The nicotine found in cigarettes negatively affects the healing process after your surgery.
  • To speed up the healing process of your top surgery scars, try to go for a healthier diet before and after the surgery. Go for food that are rich in protein, zinc and vitamin C, which is believed to speed up healing after your top surgery. This will also promote proper healing and better top surgery scarring as well.
  • You can also avoid going out under the sun too much and apply a strong selection of sunscreen that will give you extensive protection. Make this a habit or at least keep using it for at least a year.
  • There are special kinds of topical treatments that can also help and improve the outcome in the scarring process - the common brands used by people are the Scarguard and Bio-Oil. They also speed up the healing process compared to leaving it to heal by itself.

How to Get Rid of Surgery Scars

If you don’t like how your top surgery scars are healing, you can have it fixed and make it look less noticeable through different correction procedures. While it does cost a lot of money, it should minimize the appearance of the scars and it will help your scars heal nicely. Here are the common ways on how to get rid of surgery scars:

  • Through surgery, you will be able to alter the shape and the size to make it less noticeable. It is however not recommended for people with a history of keloid or hypertrophic scarring (raised scars). This will likely make your top surgery scars look worse and more noticeable than before.
  • Steroid injections are also an option for people who wants to make their top surgery scars look less noticeable by flattening it. These injections will soften the appearance of the keloids or hypertrophic scarring. This process usually needs 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or bleomycin to be injected in the scars to reduce the appearance and alleviate the itchiness and pain of these raised scars.
  • Radiotherapy is also available but usually not recommended as it has long term side effects. This is only for severe top surgery scars and usually, professionals provide other alternatives instead.
  • Broad Band Light is another option that can lessen the redness of the scar due to increased vascularity and usually has a total of 1 to 3 sessions. If continued as prescribed, it will make the top surgery scars look less visible and more natural to your skin colour.
  • Micropen also reduces texture and sizes of keloid scars, and also promote the production of collagen to produce healthier skin tissues and give the scar a smoother and more natural feel.

Conclusion

    The best way on how to get rid of surgery scars and how to prevent surgery scars is to take good care of your top surgery scars and promote top surgery scarring healing. By living a good and healthy lifestyle and proper skin care, you will be able to achieve the best scar healing results. If it doesn’t heal as you expect it to be, consult your doctor for alternatives.