Fibroadenoma Surgery Scar - How long does it take to fade?

Hi ladies,

 

I had small one fibroadenoma  (1.5cmx2cm) removed 2 and half weeks ago. The doctor made an 2cm incision along the edge of my areola to minimise the visibility of the scar, and used dissolvable stitches and a glue dressing on top to close the wound. She told me that the scar would be just a thin line and would be very unnoticeable after it heals. My skin tends to heal very well in the past when i hurt myself or was cut, but I’ve never had a surgery before. I just took off the glue dressing yesterday (the doctor suggested taking it off after 2-3 weeks) so my areola is all exposed right now. I haven’t had an infection, fever, or much pain after the surgery, so I assume I’ve been healing quite OK. However, after I took off the dressing, the scar was quite noticeable. It’s quite different from what the doctor described to me in the beginning as a thin line that’s not easily noticeable. Right now, it feel very hard and bumpy to touch, and the thin line is dented inwards in some parts (but flat on other parts). It looks like the skin was pulled downwards a bit around the incission when it’s stitched together. It almost looks like the skin hasn’t healed together, but I’m pretty sure it’s not bleeding and the top later of skin has formed well closed, it’s just dented inwards. 

 

I’m wondering if the doctor has stitched it finely enough, or if her technique was not so great. Or if it just looks like this because it’ll takes some more time for the skin to flatten up. Can anyone please offer some insights on how you’ve healed? How long does it usually take for the scar to fade, or will it ever fade?

 

Thank you so much for reading my post, and I’m really looking forward to getting some feedback from you! (quite nervous right now as I don’t want such a noticeable scar on me… plus I was told quite the opposite before the surgery…)

Hello
I had a large Fibroadanoma removed 15 days ago,I am delighted with the results,around the aerola has healed well,infact I gave to look hard to see the incision line,I have been rubbing E45 cream on that scar tissue,as an ex nurse this works wonderfully well on stitch wounds!Try using this after showering,it us fragrance free!I also wear a cotton bra without under wires so plenty of support!Let me know how you get on,I have been discharged from the Breast clinic now,so just routine mammograms every 3 or 4 years x

Hi Sharbandh! Thanks so much for your reply! Wow You are so lucky- it’s amazing you can barely notice the incision line after only 15 days! Just wondering- how long is your incision line? Also is your skin around there quite dark to begin with? Did your doctor use dissolvable under skin stitches and then waterproof glue, or did they use some other method to close your wound? How many days did you wait to take off your dressing? Sorry for asking too many questions. I’m just trying to figure out if there is any difference between our situations, so I can kind of see what might happen to my scar. I’m starting to get nervous that it just won’t ever go away… :frowning:
p.s. I did my surgery abroad because I only just moved to the UK to take on a new job, and I had to take the job right after my surgery, or I would lose it. So I dot have my post operation visit… Maybe I should see a doctor here? But do I go to a GP or something first?

Thanks so much Sharbansh! It’s very helpful information and makes me feel a bit more positive. So it sounds like the scar continues to get better after you take the stereostrip off! I thought it would just stay the same as how it is when you first take off the dressing, so I got very worried… I’m wearing a wireless cotton bra too and the doctor gave me an anti-scarring gel to rub on, so let’s hope it just gets better… I’ll let you know how I get along, and keep it posted here so other people can use for reference too!

Thanks so much for your advice Somerset! I hope mine will slowly improve. You mentioned that your scar went fairLy unnoticeable after it’s settled. Can I ask how long it took your fibroadenima incision scar to settle? Just wanted some reference on how long it might take me, and what’s considered normal. I know that people have different speed of recovering, and I’m a bit older comparing many people who get fibroadenoma (apparently it’s most common among teenagers and early 20s, but I’m in my late 20s already so I assume it’ll take me a bit longer to recover than if I were a teenager…) still don’t want a really noticeable scar though :frowning:

after an operation I had quite a scar but using dermelastic serum continually moisturised and made the scar reduce considerably. I will continue to use it with the hope the scar nearly disappears. Certainly worth a try a very product.

Thanks so much for everyone who replied. It was a year and half ago since I posted, and at the time this forum really helped me, especially in terms of psychological stress.
So I think I should post here again just to update you on my recovery. As you can see my situation and questions in the first post, I won’t repeat them here. Basically, my scar had recovered much faster after I took off the bandage and the glue dressing. The scar pretty much faded into a very faint (almost unnoticeable line) after two months. I would say after three months, it’s can be pretty considered as invisible. It has been 20 months since the surgery, and 17 months since the scar faded into an almost invisible line. The skin remained that way and no scar tissue has formed. So don’t get freaked out when you take off your dressing and find the scar not as faint as you’d like it to be. It does get better within a short period like two or three months.

Hi ladies,

I had my fibroadenoma surgery twice when i was 13 and 14,its been 7 years still the scars havent faded,the scar from the first surgery vanished within a year.I have two scars from the second surgery they havent faded till now,which disturbs me whenever i look i it brigs back sad memorie.

 

Is there any way to remove it other than laser therapy etc.?

dreamer97, I’m not sure if it will work for you or not, but my Mother’s doctor recently recommended Vetericyn to her for cuts, wounds, abrasions, etc. I plan to use it once my steri-strip comes off to reduce scarring. My surgeon said it was ok after week 2.

I know this will sound a bit odd, as it is used mostly for pets and farm animals… however, her doctor swears by it, and she, my mother, father, husband, and I have all had a lot of success with it so far! I even used it to help my mother-in-law with an odd rash.

I had my GP check out the ingredients and she had no issues with it. It’s odd how vet products have higher regulation standards then those for humans. Also, my Mother’s doctor said they were starting on the process to have it looked over by medical authorities to make it more available for human usage. Since each batch has to be exact, for veterinary use, I think I’ll stick to it for now… the release they plan for humans may not be as exact.

Also, look into some of the creams and other natural scar reducers, before you go for the laser. I can’t remember any off-hand, as this removal of an adenoma was my first remembered surgery. The only other one I’ve had was for tubes in my ears… Maybe use some topical aloe gel? Make sure it has no food coloring. I’ve also heard some things about Manuka(sp?) Honey having healing properties. I hope this helps.