Months after your surgery do you guys swim with no shirt on?  Or do you swim with one on because you're paranoid, or do you do it to help protect your scars?

I'd like to know some answers to these generic questions as well.. as well as..

"When did you go swimming first after surgery?" and comments on that experience..

I'm Desperately missing the pool!
It's just across the street from where I live!

I miss swimming so bad...

I'm 4.5 months post-op and just started swimming shirtless this week...  I told myself I was gonna watch it, keep my scars out of the sun for a year...  but dang, it's hot, my new apartment has a pool, and swimming with the Under Armor shirt was getting old.  I slather on the SPF 50 over my scars and reapply if I'm in the pool for more than an hour.

I had a peri, so my scars aren't prominent.  There's a thin white line in one spot, but that's about it.  I still do have white stretch mark scars (remnants of puberty v1.0) that I'm kind of paranoid about.  They're visible upon close inspection and I think they look kinda odd, like a starburst around my nipples.  But nobody's given me any odd looks so far, and I figure nobody is gonna be scrutinizing some random guy's nipples.

Oh yeah... and swimming shirtless is just as awesome as you'd imagine it to be   Swimming is easier when you don't have to wear a shirt.

I wore a rash guard last summer.  I've been going shirtless more and more this summer, but not in public.  My scars are still noticeable.  If I were on a beach where nobody knew me I'd go shirtless.  With friends and family I don't want to call attention to my chest/scars, so I wear a rash guard.


Jay

Crap, I didn't even think about stretch marks showing up after surgery.

I plan on going for a shirtless swim (even if it's a short swim) as soon as everything is healed up, even if the scars show.  Wonder if I could pass the scars off as being from a motorcycle accident or something.

Doctor told me to wait a year before I go shirtless in the sun, I had DI.  I will wait that long only a few more months to go.
Myles

I just had chest surgery with dr garramone on June 11.  I asked him when I could start swimming and he said 6 weeks.  It's because of the nipple graphs.  Since they are graphed on they need time to heal all the way, when they aren't fully healed up they can absorb water and basically inflate and end up falling off. So don't rush back into swimming! I know how exciting it is, i cant wait! but I would rather keep my nipples lol

Quote from: jet3 on June 23, 2010, 10:47:00 AM
I just had chest surgery with dr garramone on June 11.  I asked him when I could start swimming and he said 6 weeks.  It's because of the nipple graphs.  Since they are graphed on they need time to heal all the way, when they aren't fully healed up they can absorb water and basically inflate and end up falling off. So don't rush back into swimming! I know how exciting it is, i cant wait! but I would rather keep my nipples lol

did he say anything about protecting the scars, or no?

I picked up a rashguard with ultraviolet protection 50+.  So that works 'til my scars don't look so eye catching.