Why am I getting "soft spots" opening up around my areola 9 weeks after BL?

Question

I had a breast lift 9 weeks ago and have several open wounds around one areola. The doctor refers to them as "soft spots", and I have developed several over the last few weeks. He's opened 3 so far and I am packing them with Idoform gauze. I have 2 more small spots that look suspicious. My PS has said these will heal over time, but this keeps happening. He's said we could go back into surgery to redo sutures as an option. What is the best course?

S. Larry Schlesinger, MD, FACS · Answer

Since these small perioareolar wounds are opening up over two months after surgery, this is not likely to be an infection because bacteria would have shown the usual redness, pressure, pain and pus within the first week after surgery.  More than likely, these small openings are due to dissolvable sutures at the edge of your areola which your body is attempting to dissolve, but for one reason or another, they have broken down the skin above and eventually drip what appears to be pus.  The only difference between this pus and the usual bacterial pus is there is no bacteria.The reason most of the textbooks give for these stitch abscesses to appear is that stitches require moisture from the tissue to dissolve without creating abscesses.  All plastic surgeons have the same problem.  If you put the stitch too deep, you can get more scar around the areola.  If you put the stitch too superficial, you can get a stitch abscess.  What a conundrum.  Your plastic surgeon is correct.  These stitch abscesses will heal.  There is normally some hyperpigmentation that occurs, which also normally resolves with time.  That being said, if you were my patient, I would tattoo your normal skin pigment over the irregularities caused by the healed stitch abscesses, therefore eliminating them from view.

Elias G. Gikas, MD · Answer

It sounds like you are developing a reaction to deeper sutures (suture abcess).  Eventually they will heal fine. Need patience and time.  Any scar that may result after they heal can be corrected by a minor office procedure.  Keep in touch with your surgeon.

Frederic H. Corbin, MD (license restricted) · Answer

From your description it sounds like you are developing stitch abcesses which are the bane of every surgeon.  Eventually by hey will close and may require a scar revisionDr Corbin

Why am I getting "soft spots" opening up around my areola 9 weeks after BL?

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Why am I getting "soft spots" opening up around my areola 9 weeks after BL?

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Everything you need to know about Breast Lift

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.