Why explant scars heal differently on each side

21 Oct 2026 · 1 min

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1:07

In this concise explanatory video, Dr. Robert Whitfield MD discusses scar healing after breast explant surgery. He emphasizes that no scar becomes completely invisible, though they typically fade over about a year. He explains that areolar (circular) scars heal differently due to the biomechanics of shoulder and chest movement, which create directional vectors that pull on scar tissue. Hand dominance, activity level, and individual variation cause vertical or fold scars to heal asymmetrically between the left and right sides. Dr. Whitfield notes that many patients are already asymmetric before surgery, and neither augmentation nor explant procedures can guarantee perfect symmetry. However, surgeons can mitigate asymmetry by adjusting surrounding skin or adding volume to balance the appearance.

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And no scar is invisible. Obviously, they fade with time. It takes typically the— we'll give it a year and let things fade. And when areolar scars, the circular scar is healing, we always make it circular, but then the healing is different because of the movement of the shoulder and the chest, and those will pull and tug on the scars in a different— We call it a A vector, but just how you move your arm around affects it. So a vertical or a fold scar can heal differently from one side to another because of our hand dominance or how much work we're doing on a side. And scar behavior is individual. It's not equal on each side. Every side is going to be different. That's very hard for everybody to understand. But if you think about it, many people start out asymmetric. And having breast augmentation does not make them symmetric, and having explant surgery cannot make you symmetric. We can do things to help offset some of that with adjusting the skin and/or adding volume.