All surgery leaves a scar, including cosmetic surgery.  However, cosmetic surgery scars may be designed to be less visible.  This is particularly the case with liposuction and breast enlargement surgery.  Ideally all these scars are placed in such a way to be concealed by the smallest  swim suit the patient chooses to wear.  Most of us have observed minor injuries or surgery.   If you reflect on how the scar on a skinned knee changes over time, you might recall that process requires months to mature or fade.

Scars on the face mature quicker than scars on the back.  A freshly healed scar looks pink or red and feels hard.   This is the normal appearance and feel of scar tissue within the first six weeks of surgery.  New collagen that is deposited by healing cells, feels hard to the touch.   In addition, the process of healing requires increased blood flow.   The large number of capillaries make the new scar look red.   Scar maturation is the process by which your body changes (remodels) the collagen and the capillaries in the scar.

Fortunately this process usually cycles to completion and  results with a soft scar that is barely visible.  Think of scars being a kind of Thanksgiving turkey “doneness” indicator.   When the timer pops up, the turkey is done.  When your scars are soft and no longer pink, you have an indication that your internal healing is also complete.  In both cases it can  take longer than you hope!