I had a trachea shave on 4 Jan. I have finally reached the point where I could remove the tape from the incision, and I thought there may be some interest in a fresh set of photos. My voice is almost back to normal and I no longer have the urge to clear my throat every 15 seconds. There is still some swelling and the area is a bit tender to touch, but it looks much better than the first post-op photo. Although from the angle it looks like I traded a small lump for a much larger one, it actually looks very smooth in real life. I think once the swelling goes down it will look really nice. I had the surgery in Denver, CO, and it cost $3800. The surgery took about an hour. I was awake, dressed, and sitting in my car about an hour after I got out of surgery. The surgeon mentioned he was a bit aggressive and that he had overlapped some of my neck muscles to help provide a smoother look. I am not out at work yet so I will probably wear turtlenecks for another week or so, but it looks like it is healing well. To aid in healing I am using a small silicone strip over the scar at night and some mederma cream during the day. Today I used my extremely limited make-up skills to put some concealer over the scar then took my wife out to lunch and shopping. I did not notice anyone staring, which made me feel much more confident.
The original thread for my trachea shave is here:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,232477.0.html
Pre-op, 3hrs Post-op, 1 Day Post-op, 9 Days Post-op, 9 Days Post-op with concealer.
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FmHzchVQ.jpg&hash=bab30607d66883eb0caf3e3be313a5c0c8d5860b) (https://imgur.com/mHzchVQ)(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FFvZ1Pg8.jpg&hash=c9041f53e140471ba9895f4bf6e67b4572335a8b) (https://imgur.com/FvZ1Pg8)(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F0FYtCrT.jpg&hash=bcd0a4e3120dcd4ceac009d4fea3fd59df78ed6c) (https://imgur.com/0FYtCrT)(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FcDThRua.jpg&hash=63eca29a2e2b6a265d2a57a72812edfe7bbc9300) (https://imgur.com/cDThRua)(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FvXb314G.jpg&hash=1f46f7a5a23d7a35735343d52431df3b392da62b) (https://imgur.com/vXb314G)
You scar has healed very well. How long did they say the swelling would take to go down?
The surgeon mentioned it could take several weeks for the swelling to go away completely. I am using an ice pack for 10 - 15 minutes every night in the hopes that will speed up the process a little. I expect at least part of the bulge is from overlapping the muscles, but to be honest it looks significantly better in person. There is still some very slight discomfort when swallowing or yawning, but it is barely noticeable. The silicone sheets also really help flatten out the scar. My next and final follow-up is scheduled for 14 Feb.
Jessica-Rose,
I had my trachea shaved in November and it has just now completely healed. Most of the healing happened in the first two weeks. I had a small knot of hard tissue and loose skin under the chin for a while. It took me two full months to completely heal and I am known for rapid healing with all the other surgeries I have had.
Of course, we all heal at different speeds. We just need to give healing plenty of time and follow our surgeons post-op directions.
Thanks Dani, and you too Rachel. It is always nice to get comments and information from those whose footsteps I follow!
Hi Jessica,
It looks a lot better but I still say ouch for the swelling.
The incision is healing very well, but I still have quite a bulge on my throat. I think it is slowly improving, but I guess it is better than the obvious Adam's Apple.
Pre_op, Post op 9 Days, Post op 15 Days
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FmHzchVQ.jpg&hash=bab30607d66883eb0caf3e3be313a5c0c8d5860b) (https://imgur.com/mHzchVQ)(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FcDThRua.jpg&hash=63eca29a2e2b6a265d2a57a72812edfe7bbc9300) (https://imgur.com/cDThRua)(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FZYjvRux.jpg&hash=ba19f74732a23dcacac84018fd309c5130bdd058) (https://imgur.com/ZYjvRux)
I just wanted to provide a new photo showing how my trachea shave is healing. There is still a bit of a bulge, but I think it is looking pretty good.
From left to right, pre-op, post-op 15 days, post-op 3 three months.
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FmHzchVQ.jpg&hash=bab30607d66883eb0caf3e3be313a5c0c8d5860b) (https://imgur.com/mHzchVQ)(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FZYjvRux.jpg&hash=ba19f74732a23dcacac84018fd309c5130bdd058) (https://imgur.com/ZYjvRux)(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FHxEYQf0.jpg&hash=839ea637bc06a798648776058391ec7f13d81d78) (https://imgur.com/HxEYQf0)
Wow, great progress! How does it look without concealer? I'm really looking forward to having mine shaved too.
I don't wear any concealer. I wore turtlenecks for the first three weeks then just went back to normal tops. I had the surgery on 4 Jan 2018 and came out on 16 Feb. No one ever made any comments, and I never noticed anyone staring at my neck. Here are some 'straight on' photos, other than adjusting the exposure they are unedited. The people I have told are also amazed at how well the incision has healed. I expect after a few more months I'll have trouble finding it myself.
Pre-op, Post-op 3 months
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FzrJZThI.jpg&hash=0b4379a1952357121adeba9f9396fae9dceb48d1) (https://imgur.com/zrJZThI)(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FBEVRbcr.jpg&hash=1904f47b5744c92882eafacfe1747457f2e88278) (https://imgur.com/BEVRbcr)
Looking at the images, there is a lack of bone and muscle detail even in the current picture. It looks like there is still swelling from the surgery that hasn't gone down yet. This far along you might want to apply heat to help with the healing process and maybe help with the swelling.
I sprained my hand and arm Feb 24th and there is still some swelling in it however holding my hand under warm water helps with the mobility and seems to be helping with the swelling that accumulates with a day of misuse. The old rule cold right after an injury and warm a long time after an injury still seems to apply.
The scare is barely noticeable. It looks great.