Linda's Thyroidectomy Scar

1. Right After the 'Ectomy

Here is the incision a few days after surgery. Notice the betadine stain around the area. The surgical staples are still present. (Eight staples, I believe?)

Incision After Surgery Here is a close-up. Close-up of Incision

2. Six Months Later

Here is the scar six months after surgery. It is healing well although you can still see some redness. The scar measures 6 centimeters (that's about 2 and a half inches, for those of us in metric-impaired parts of the world). This is apparently very small as thyroidectomy scars go. I attribute this to my surgeon's specializing in pediatric surgery, thus being able to work in very small spaces! (My endocrinologist always marvels at how small my scar is-- the surgeon she sends her patients to makes a bigger scar.)

Here is a close-up. Close-up of 6-Month Scar

3. One Year Later

Well, I haven't found a picture for this. The scar probably wouldn't show up on a casual photograph like the ones above anymore. There is no longer any redness. It is very faint. There are tiny dots of scar where the staples went in. My endocrinologist says that's unusual-- she says sutures leave scars like that, but staples usually don't.

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Last updated on May 8, 1999.