What steps should be taken after skin necrosis is discovered? Is there any reason to wait to cut off the dead tissue? The dark area is now surrounded by yellow tissue which I'm assuming is slough. I'm concerned I could get a raging infection or worse. What is a typical time frame and manner to address this?
Answer: Necrotic tissue should be debrided as appreciated and in your case, your surgeon may have delayed a little to allow a clear demarcation of what is viable and what isn't. With the yellow tissue developing around the black eschar, a debridement can now be done. Why debride? Your wound must be clean before it will start to heal so getting rid of the dead tissue will facilitate healing.
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Answer: Necrotic tissue should be debrided as appreciated and in your case, your surgeon may have delayed a little to allow a clear demarcation of what is viable and what isn't. With the yellow tissue developing around the black eschar, a debridement can now be done. Why debride? Your wound must be clean before it will start to heal so getting rid of the dead tissue will facilitate healing.
Helpful 2 people found this helpful
October 13, 2017
Answer: When should necrosis be debrided after breast reduction? Once the necrosis has demarcated and is able to be lifted from yellow tissue below and around it, it can and should be cut out down to healthier bleeding tissue to promote healing. Most eschars (the black necrotic scab) can be prevented from becoming infected with the use of topical products like Silvadene but once the demarcation is clear, there is no advantage to leaving that layer intact. Your surgeon should be debriding this soon and if not, you may want to get another opinion from a plastic surgeon who also does a lot of wound management. I will say that this location is the most common for delayed healing problems with breast reductions and breast lifts as it is where the skin flaps are under the greatest tension and blood supply is farthest from its origin. The good news is that with debridement and wound care, the resulting scar is often only a bit wider than what would have resulted otherwise and you can consider minor scar revision after a long period of scar maturation down the road.
Helpful 2 people found this helpful
October 13, 2017
Answer: When should necrosis be debrided after breast reduction? Once the necrosis has demarcated and is able to be lifted from yellow tissue below and around it, it can and should be cut out down to healthier bleeding tissue to promote healing. Most eschars (the black necrotic scab) can be prevented from becoming infected with the use of topical products like Silvadene but once the demarcation is clear, there is no advantage to leaving that layer intact. Your surgeon should be debriding this soon and if not, you may want to get another opinion from a plastic surgeon who also does a lot of wound management. I will say that this location is the most common for delayed healing problems with breast reductions and breast lifts as it is where the skin flaps are under the greatest tension and blood supply is farthest from its origin. The good news is that with debridement and wound care, the resulting scar is often only a bit wider than what would have resulted otherwise and you can consider minor scar revision after a long period of scar maturation down the road.
Helpful 2 people found this helpful
