Help with wound care following breast reduction, 5 weeks post op (Photo)

Keep this area dry and have your plastic surgeon apply silver nitrate sticks weekly to help dry the area out.  If there is any tissue that is not viable (or have sutures in it), your plastic surgeon should debride that weekly too until the area has only healthy, healing tissue around it- then keep in dry.  Once you have a stable scar, let it soften over months and then consider scar revision if you are not happy with the scar.  Best Wishes!!

Hello, thank you for your recent question.  It is not uncommon for some wound separation after a large reduction to this area.  This area could possibly have a suture left that is causing it not to heal.  This is what we call a spitting suture.  I would contact your surgeon and have a nurse or the Dr. take a look.  However in the mean time you could apply warm compresses and keep clean with soap and water.  Let the area dry out for a few hours a day as well.  Best of Luck ! 

The area of your breast being slow to heal is not uncommon.  It is where the tension on the skin is the most and the blood supply is the least.  You can't make your body heal faster, you can only make the conditions optimal for healing.  If you are in good health and eat a well rounded diet, your nutritional status should be ok.  The area slow to heal also needs to be kept clean and free of any unhealthy tissue. Ask your plastic surgeon what regimen he or she recommends.  Every plastic surgeon has his or her own wound management techniques depending on the condition of the skin opening.  Having drainage is normal since there is a hole in the skin.  It doesn't always mean there is an infection as many people think. With good care these will seem to smolder along and not improve, but at some point it will close in fast.  You need to be patient.  The scar may end up being wider than expected, but a scar revision down the road in a few months can remedy that. Follow your surgeons instructions and don't listen to your friends and neighbors and be patient.

This area is very common to be slow in healing and can often take 2 months to heal. I advise my patients to keep the wound moist with antibiotic ointment or vaseline and keep it covered while wearing a bra. You might want to try some extra vitamins.

The so-called "T-junction" where the vertical and horizontal incisions meet is the most common place to see wound healing problems after a breast reduction because this area is under the most tension and farthest away from the blood supply needed to heal. Usually, this area heals with just local wound care consisting of what your surgeon prefers - antibiotic ointment, non-stick gauze, band-aids or otherwise - and it may eventually lead to a slightly widened scar and about 2-3 weeks longer healing time. In terms of increasing your chances of healing well, avoiding the use of any products containing nicotine (and even staying away from second-hand smoke), avoiding excessive activities or reaching with the arm on the side of your wound healing issues, and checking on the area at least once to twice daily will help expedite your healing. Fortunately in the long term this small area of delayed healing will have little to no consequences.