Breast Lift: Q&A

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Hard Painful Breast with Fat Necrosis After Lift - What to Do?

I had a breastlift 3 months ago and experienced necrosis. I lost my nipple but it has grown back with the exception of one side that has a dime size open wound. BUT the entire breast is hard and painful, the wound is being packed with gauze and sterile water/blech-its tracks 4" down and 2" to the side. My certified board plastic surgeon says it is fat necrosis. The wound leaks a yellowish liquid with horrible odor. How long do i continue this treatment or do we need to surgicaly remove this?

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6 Doctor Answers | Asked by The Healthy Hound in Stevensville, MD

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Treatment of Fat Necrosis?

Thank you for the question. The human body has a tendency to eliminate unhealthy tissue. It will tend to slowly “remove” the unhealthy fat necrosis that is present. You are seeing this occur in the form of the “yellowish liquid with horrible odor”. As long as the wound is draining the chance of an infection that can do you harm is very small. Generally, it would be best interest to allow as much time as possible for the body to... more

Breast reduction and fat necrosis

Fat necrosis, infection and wounds can occur with any surgery. And you do not always know why it happened one patient and not to another. These wounds will usually improve more than you ever think they could and look better than you think they would. The most important thing for you to do is to keep in contact with your physician and alerted your surgeon to any new problems like fever or pain. These things can be a sign of infection and your doctor should be informed of these problems as... more

Nipple loss and fat necrosis after breast lift

Unfortunately, these things happen. It's not because your surgeon is incompetent, it is just simply bad luck. I've noticed through many years of performing these procedures that it often happens to 'fatty' breasts. Fat in general does not have a good blood supply. So when you compromise its vascularity (surgery/cutting) it sometimes does not survive. This is fat necrosis. But, don't worry. Sounds like your surgeon is taking care of it. It will take a long time to heal,... more

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It will take few months to heal

You have breast tissue necrosis and it may take few months for it heal. You may need revision of the scar. Looks like your surgeon is on the top of the problem.

Kamran Khoobehi, MD

28 reviews

New Orleans Plastic Surgeon

Hard breast after a lift

Hardness after a breast lift with compromised blood flow to the nipple is not unusual. The Niplle necrosis is a sign of decreased blood flow that probably affected other areas of the breast. As the fat cells die they release their contents which cause an inflammation and calcification- hardness. The situation will correct itself with the treatment you are undergoing with dressing changes as administered by your surgeon. It will a little time but in the end the hardness will go away! more

Rare but documented complication

It is always stressful for both the patient and surgeon when these things happen. Although rare this sort of thing can happen to the best surgeons. This is why it is so important to find a surgeon you trust and can work with. I have done a great number of these procedures. I can only encourage you to be patient. Most of the time these things do much better when you wait before any surgical intervention. Trust your surgeon's experience.

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