Will I Have Scars After Breast Augmentation Surgery?

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You eagerly desire to achieve the full, aesthetically pleasing breasts of your dreams, but every time you look in the mirror or imagine wearing a bikini, you hesitate, wondering: "Will my surgery scar be visible?", "Will I have a permanent mark on my body for the rest of my life?"

Your concerns are completely justified. The primary goal of aesthetic surgery is to make you feel more beautiful and confident, not to create new insecurities. Let's put aside marketing myths like "scarless breast augmentation" and discuss the medical facts.

The truth is: Any surgical procedure that breaks the integrity of the skin will leave a small scar. "Zero scarring" is medically impossible. However, the mastery in plastic surgery is not about eliminating the scar entirely, but hiding it within natural body folds and using aesthetic suturing techniques to make it virtually invisible. An incision made in the right place will fade to match your skin tone within 1-2 years, becoming a faint, thin line that is almost impossible to notice from the outside.

"One of the surgeon's most important duties in breast augmentation is not just adding volume to the body, but managing the healing process flawlessly by respecting the tissues. When we place the implant through the natural crease just beneath the breast (the inframammary fold), the scar is entirely concealed in the shadow and fold of the patient's own breast when she is standing." — Op. Dr. Ali Mezdegi

So, where exactly are incisions made during silicone implant surgery? When do these initially red scars fade and blend in with your skin color? And which creams or silicone tapes are used to accelerate scar healing post-surgery? Let's explore all the medical details of scar management.

Breast Implant Scars: Quick Facts

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Most Common Location Inframammary Fold (IMF)

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Scar Length Averages between 4 to 5 cm

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First 1 - 3 Months Red, pink, and slightly raised

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1 Year and Beyond Fades & blends with skin tone

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Scar Care Silicone gels & sheets (Starts Week 3)

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Sun / Tanning Beds Must avoid direct UV exposure for 1 year

Where Are Breast Implant Incisions Hidden?

There are three main incision pathways used to place an implant during breast augmentation surgery. The choice depends on the patient's anatomy and the surgeon's clinical experience:

Inframammary Fold (Under the Breast): Taking a transparent approach, Op. Dr. Ali Mezdegi prefers this as the most frequent and safest method in his clinical practice. The incision is made in the natural crease just beneath the breast (about 4-5 cm). The milk glands and the nerves leading to the nipple are not touched in any way. When you are standing, this scar remains hidden in the natural shadow of your breast and is never visible from the front.
Periareolar (Around the Nipple): This is made in a half-moon shape along the border where the dark skin of the nipple (areola) meets the lighter skin of the breast. Because it is located on a color transition line, it camouflages very well. However, the risk of cutting milk ducts and nerves is slightly higher compared to the inframammary method.
Transaxillary (In the Armpit): There is no scar on the breast itself; it is hidden in the armpit. However, due to a higher risk of infection in the armpit area and the difficulty of adjusting the implant's position in case of asymmetry, it is rapidly losing popularity in modern aesthetic surgery.

The Timeline: How Does the Scar Heal and When Does It Fade?

Our bodies have an amazing repair mechanism. The appearance of that 4-5 cm line under your breast goes through the following stages over the months post-surgery:

Months 1 to 3 (Active Healing): Because the wound is fresh, the body sends plenty of blood cells and collagen to the area. Consequently, your scar may appear red, pinkish/purple, and slightly raised during this time. This should not alarm you; it is a natural part of healing.
Months 6 to 12 (Settling Phase): The redness significantly decreases, and the scar turns to a light pink or a tone closer to your skin color. Any raised areas flatten out, and the line becomes smoother.
1 to 2 Years (Final Result): The scar is now mature. It fully blends with your skin tone, turning into a faint, pale, or white thin line. Unless you raise your arms while lying on the beach or someone looks very closely, it becomes almost impossible to notice.

Sun Warning to Prevent Dark Scars!
If a fresh scar (within the first year) is exposed to the sun (UV rays) or tanning beds, the color pigments in that area will darken, and the scar may permanently remain as a brown/dark spot (Hyperpigmentation). Therefore, during your first summer after surgery, you must apply the highest SPF (50+) sunscreen over your scars or cover them with tape to protect against UV rays penetrating through your bikini.

Genetic Factors and Scar Cream Usage

Wound healing does not depend solely on the surgeon's suturing skills; the patient's genetic skin type (predisposition to keloid or hypertrophic scars), smoking habits, and postoperative care are also crucial. Because smoking decreases the oxygen supplied to tissues, it severely impairs wound healing and can result in thick, prominent scars. Starting to regularly use medical silicone-based scar gels and silicone sheets recommended by your doctor approximately 3 weeks after surgery will help ensure the scar heals flat and as thin as a thread.

Frequently Asked Questions: Surgery Scars

No, it is medically impossible. Healing tissue (a scar) will form wherever a surgical incision is made. Success in plastic surgery is not about leaving no scar, but hiding the incision under the skin in natural folds (like under the breast) so it fades away.

The most preferred method globally and in our clinical practice is the "Inframammary Fold (IMF)" incision. It doesn't damage milk glands or nerves, and the scar is completely hidden in the natural shadow of the breast when standing.

Modern aesthetic surgery does not use externally visible sutures. Because aesthetic, self-dissolving stitches are placed under the skin, you will not experience a painful or troublesome suture removal process after the operation.

You should not start creams immediately after surgery. You must wait for the incision to completely close and any scabs to fall off. Your doctor will typically recommend starting medical silicone-based scar gels or sheets from the 3rd week onwards.

To place the implant through a periareolar incision, it may be necessary to pass through breast tissue. Because this carries a risk of damaging milk ducts and sensory nerves, the under-breast incision is highly recommended for women who plan to breastfeed in the future.

Yes, absolutely. If fresh scars (within the first year) are exposed to the sun, they can leave permanent dark brown spots (hyperpigmentation). You must protect the scar area with the highest SPF sunscreen, even when wearing a bikini.

If a person is genetically prone to poor scarring (keloids), procedures like fractional lasers can help lighten the color and reduce the bumpiness. However, no device or laser can erase a surgical scar 100% and make it look as if it never existed.

Smoking and nicotine severely drop the amount of oxygen reaching the wound by constricting capillaries. This leads to very delayed healing, a higher risk of infection, and ultimately, thick, raised, and unsightly scars.

It is a natural part of the healing process for the scar to be pink/red and prominent in the first few months. This pink color generally begins to fade from the 6th month and blends in with your skin tone by completely fading around the end of the 1st year.

Once a thin line scar hidden in the inframammary fold turns to skin color by the end of the 1st year, it is not easily noticed in daily (or intimate) life unless examined very closely or specifically pointed out by you.

Op. Dr. Ali Mezdegi - Plastic Surgeon Istanbul

Author: Op. Dr. Ali Mezdegi

Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery Specialist

Op. Dr. Ali Mezdegi centers his breast aesthetic operations around scar management and tissue-sparing surgical approaches. By utilizing aesthetic hidden suturing techniques—especially via the inframammary fold—he ensures that his international patients complete their postoperative recovery comfortably and with the least visible scarring possible.

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Medical Review & Approval: The content of this informative guide, "Will I Have Scars After Breast Augmentation Surgery?", was last updated on September 9, 2026. It has been meticulously reviewed and medically approved for wound healing physiology (scar management) and modern surgical techniques by Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery Specialist Op. Dr. Ali Mezdegi.