All surgical procedures create scars, and back lipo is no exception. But plastic surgeons are experts at camouflaging and minimizing them. Further, scars fade in time and can become quite difficult to notice. To give yourself the best chance of discreet scars, choose an experienced plastic surgeon to perform your back lipo and then take good care of your incisions and scars after.
The scars created by liposuction are extremely small, usually no more than 5 mm, and often appear as dots rather than lines. You may have several of these dots. Each one corresponds to an entry point where the cannula that removes the fat was inserted. Several insertion points are often necessary to grant full access to the entire treatment area.
The number of scars you have will vary based on the scope of your procedure. If you have lipo on your upper or lower back only, you will have fewer scars than if you do your entire back.
Just as the number of scars created by back lipo varies, so does their placement. When lipo is performed to sculpt the upper back and/or eliminate bra rolls, surgeons place the scars along the bra line in the natural crease of the back. This way, most bras and swimwear will hide them. Whenever possible, plastic surgeons place scars created by lower back and flank lipo low enough that most underwear and bathing suits will cover them.
After your back lipo, you will have small incisions. These incisions will close, leaving behind scars that will fade over time. Your personal biology and scar care will both impact the appearance of your scars at maturity, which is usually about 12 months after your procedure. Some people heal more quickly, however, and others need a bit more time. In general, you can expect the following:
Scar maturation doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Several factors can affect the way your scar matures. As such, different people can have different scars, even if they have the same procedure done by the same surgeon. Factors impacting scar appearance include:
You may not be able to completely prevent back lipo scars, but you can stack the odds in your favor when it comes to scar visibility. Choosing the right plastic surgeon and taking good care of yourself after your procedure are both vital for excellent results.
We always encourage patients to choose experienced and skilled surgeons like those at Mia Aesthetics. This is because surgical technique matters, and an experienced surgeon will:
The quality of your surgeon’s work matters, but so does how well you care for your scars at home. You can help yourself by:
Even when doctor and patient both do everything right, sometimes the body just refuses to cooperate. It’s not the norm, but even with good care, scars can be raised, thick, hyperpigmented (dark), or quite red even when mature. In these cases, help is available. Patients who experience suboptimal scarring can pursue scar-reducing treatments, including:
Most patients don’t need these interventions, but we want you to know that poor scar healing isn’t something you just need to accept. There are treatment options.
Usually not. Different bras and swimsuits are cut and styled differently, however, so it is possible that some could fail to cover your scars. Generally, however, mature scars are either covered or faded and difficult to notice even when uncovered.
They can, yes. Variations across your back in skin thickness and the amount of movement during healing all matter. Certain movements place more tension on the sutures and skin as you move during healing, and tension is bad for scarring.
Yes. Back lipo scars can become raised or dark. They are most likely to do so if you have a history of keloid scars or hyperpigmentation at previous wound sites. Sometimes the body goes into overdrive and produces too much collagen during healing. This can also lead to raised scars. Post-op infections can also cause some pretty gnarly scars, so keep your incisions clean.
If you know you’re prone to problematic scarring, discuss your history with your plastic surgeon or surgical coordinator during your free virtual consultation. Our team can devise a prevention strategy for you, taking steps to help minimize the risk of scarring problems. Fortunately, the back is less prone to keloid scarring than other parts of the body.
They certainly won’t hurt! Scar abatement isn’t the primary goal of compression garments, but they do reduce swelling, which reduces tension on the wounds. And the less tension on the wound as you heal, the less likely you are to have poor scar maturation. So indirectly, yes, compression garments can help reduce scarring.