Do mastectomy scars need to be so ugly?

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Gina4h
Gina4h Member Posts: 98
edited October 2017 in Surgery - Before, During, and After

Why do most mastectomy scars look like the surgery was done by a bad butcher in a hurry? Caesarean scars used to be similar. Is it speed of surgery or just that no one has taken the time to consider that it might be helpful to have "prettier" scars. We are already disfigured and changed by all the treatments we go through.

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  • SummerAngel
    SummerAngel Member Posts: 1,006
    edited September 2015

    I was discussing this with my sister just this morning. How can some women get scars "hidden" under the inframammary fold or just a short scar from the bottom (or outside) of the breast to the nipple but the majority of us get not-so-lovely scars horizontally all the way across our breasts? I've asked something similar before and just got a "surgeon's preference" response. That doesn't seem right to me!

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  • proudtospin
    proudtospin Member Posts: 5,972
    edited September 2015

    I had 3 lumpies so my scar is not the same but, my surgeon was awesome and when I go for mamos now, the techs always comment, then they say, oh yeah, your surgeon was really good

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  • shorfi
    shorfi Member Posts: 791
    edited September 2015

    My scars are hidden under the inframammary folds, and maybe because my breast surgeon is a woman, but she did a beautiful job on me. My PS just did revision work on me last month and the scar is very thin and when wearing a bra you cannot see it. I have a very young friend who looks like she was butchered. Maybe some surgeons just go to fast.

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  • vettegirl
    vettegirl Member Posts: 235
    edited September 2015

    I too have often wondered why with todays technolgy, can't they do better?  I honestly dont get it.  The two worst things about reconstruction for me have been the ugly scars and the hardness of the boobs.  I feel like I will never be/feel normal again.  I don't even want to even look at me naked :(  I have often wondered if there is any plastic surgeon out there who can fix/cover all these ugly scars after the fact.

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  • Kicks
    Kicks Member Posts: 4,131
    edited September 2015

    A lot depends on our skin and how it heals - different are different.

    The scar from my mod. rad. MX is a VERY thin straight line. It is narrower than my 2 C-Sections ('77 & '78) and they are quite narrow. I had no external sutures for my UMX - just surgical glue.

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  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited September 2015

    Some women get beautiful tattoos to cover their scars.

    http://www.boredpanda.com/breast-cancer-survivors-mastectomy-tattoos/

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  • Meow13
    Meow13 Member Posts: 4,859
    edited September 2015

    under my arm on the side scar looks jagged from diep but it doesn't show in bathing suit so I guess it is ok. Why is it jagged?

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  • shorfi
    shorfi Member Posts: 791
    edited September 2015

    I think some surgeons have more skills when performing mastectomies and they take the time to do it right. I had radiation from my first time having breast cancer. When I was diagnosed the second time I had a mastectomy and there are stories out there with women having construction on their radiated side and having so many problems. Fortunately, that didn't happen to me. My breasts are beautiful. Yes, I had to undergo 12 hours of surgery, but the end result is beautiful.

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  • SummerAngel
    SummerAngel Member Posts: 1,006
    edited September 2015

    Well, my BS (a woman) and PS were very skilled and the scars I have are straight and thin. My issue is with how incredibly LONG they are - from one side to the other, and with the placement - across the front of the breast. It doesn't seem that that's really necessary.

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  • 39andhip
    39andhip Member Posts: 164
    edited September 2015

    vettegirl - there are definitely plastic surgeons who specialize in 'scar reduction.' I just know because my PS told me he spends a lot of time fixing scars left by other PSs.

    There is such a huge range of skill among surgeons, plus some people just scar more than others. I have an insane scar that zig-zags across my breast, but that's because I originally had two lumpectomies, then when I had the mastectomy, my BS went in through the same incision. When my PS did reconstruction, he really had to use that original site. I'm an 'orderly' kind of gal and didn't want a Harry Potter lightning scar, but my PS insisted it was better because this way because at least the scar would be hidden if I were wearing a bikini. He also insisted on putting the incision in my abdomen below my 'bikini line,' even though I assured him I do not wear bikinis. But now that I think about it, I'm glad he did it his way.

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  • suems
    suems Member Posts: 133
    edited September 2015

    My scar is a shambles. My surgeon was in a hurry. It was done on a Friday, and he was out of town on holiday before I even woke up out of the anesthetic. I have a huge lump in my armpit which is extremely annoying. Apparently it's called a dog ear, but mine is a giant Great Dane! All my other doctors agree I should go for scar remediation and get rid of "Mount Kyle" (Kyle being the butcher who created the mess). The scar across my chest kind of curves around, then goes down at the side then wanders up my side. This may not be entirely his fault, as he took 24 lymph nodes. After 8 months, I still have pains from the nerve damage, and random dead patches of skin. It doesn't help that I have just been hit by lymphodema, and the fluid is building up in Mt Kyle and it's getting even bigger.

    I now have it on my record that no matter what happens Dr Kyle is never allowed to touch me again!.

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  • Angelina95
    Angelina95 Member Posts: 1
    edited October 2017

    I had major surgery that left a horrible ugly scar. Thankfully Dermalmd scar serum is working everyday.

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  • ravzari
    ravzari Member Posts: 277
    edited October 2017

    What I heard from the general surgeon who did the actual mastectomy: "I'm not a plastic surgeon, I can make relatively even cuts but I can't guarantee a decent looking scar. If you want that, we need to get a plastic surgeon involved, they're much better at putting things back together in a way that looks as nice as possible."

    I think, in a way, I was lucky that my general surgeon didn't have an ego that prevented him from basically saying, "I can't guarantee you'll have a nice scar if it's just me because I don't know how to do that very well" and getting a PS involved. If he hadn't said that, I would have assumed he knew how to make a decent looking scar and probably would have ended up with something completely uneven and jagged looking.

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  • EastcoastTS
    EastcoastTS Member Posts: 864
    edited October 2017

    You can also talk to a PS about laser. Apparently can really help with certain types of scars. But not covered in any way by insurance unfortunately. I read about it on Realself.com.

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited October 2017

    My scars are neither tiny nor highly regular from a visual perspective, but every medical person who examines me exclaims about the high quality of the medical work. I'll take that trade-off.

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  • beach2beach
    beach2beach Member Posts: 996
    edited October 2017

    Mine are like smiley faces underneath my implant boobs. At the moment they are still very dark, and lil lumpy from tissue but hoping with a few more months of healing that will lighten up. Can't see it unless I raise my arms. Not sure what the norm is but mine is looking ok so far

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  • Meow13
    Meow13 Member Posts: 4,859
    edited October 2017

    Mine took about 2 years to really look better.

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