I had a simple mastectomy with male reconstruction and free nipple grafts. The bandages came off yesterday and we found that my left nipple has collapsed. My surgeon does not know what happened but says it's not a goner yet. I am to put daily bandages and Bactracin on it and see what happens. I am concerned that the graft has failed. Has any one seen this before and knows what happened and can the nipple be saved ?
January 31, 2016
Answer: Nipple graft post FTM surgery Thanks for your question and congratulations on your surgery. Based on your photo, it appears that you have some degree of loss of the nipple graft, but the majority looks ok. It is not uncommon for the nipple grafts to look a bit scary while they are healing. As far as the "collapse,"it is difficult to say without an exam. How much the nipple protrudes is directly related to the tissue below it. Sometimes the dressing used to secure the graft can cause some compression of the underlying tissue. If its related to the dressing, my experience is that it usually resolves. I would follow the advice of your surgeon and apply ointment and wait for complete healing before making any assessment of the final result. I have seen nipples that look like that recover quit nicely. If after adequate healing there is still an area of depression beneath the nipple, it can be addressed with fat grafting. Best Regards.
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January 31, 2016
Answer: Nipple graft post FTM surgery Thanks for your question and congratulations on your surgery. Based on your photo, it appears that you have some degree of loss of the nipple graft, but the majority looks ok. It is not uncommon for the nipple grafts to look a bit scary while they are healing. As far as the "collapse,"it is difficult to say without an exam. How much the nipple protrudes is directly related to the tissue below it. Sometimes the dressing used to secure the graft can cause some compression of the underlying tissue. If its related to the dressing, my experience is that it usually resolves. I would follow the advice of your surgeon and apply ointment and wait for complete healing before making any assessment of the final result. I have seen nipples that look like that recover quit nicely. If after adequate healing there is still an area of depression beneath the nipple, it can be addressed with fat grafting. Best Regards.
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January 31, 2016
Answer: Grafts It looks to me like the graft did not take, all you can do is let that granulate in and then consider nipple reconstruction at a later date. Jane
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January 31, 2016
Answer: Grafts It looks to me like the graft did not take, all you can do is let that granulate in and then consider nipple reconstruction at a later date. Jane
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