3 weeks post op of Breast Reduction, my areola turn into pink meat. When will this heal? (photos)

Question

How will I know if these are signs my breast are healing . The first week everything was OK 2nd week the areola skin starting peeling (another question previously asked) . Now in the 3rd week it's down to the pink meat. I are my nipples but what's next . I had tests done no bacteria found or infection and the Dr said my wounds heeled . When will the skin grow back normal and cover the bare areola? Is it healing or getting worse after breast reduction seen a new surgeon he said neosporin and fresh cured pads.

Earl Stephenson, Jr., MD, DDS, MBA · Answer

Thank you for your pictures. You got to think that have occurred you have loss of tissue superficially of your areolar this can be due to decreased circulation to the area. That would be considered a complication. You could have had a free nipple areolar graft. If this is the case then this is a typical response of that type of surgery.  A before picture would be extremely helpful. If you had excessively large breast then I'm going to guess you had a free nipple areolar graft.

Jeffrey Zwiren, MD · Answer

All that you can do at this point is to allow this area to heal.  The surgical technique used would be useful to know.  Once you are healed your plastic surgeon can do additional surgery to help correct the problem.

Glenn Lyle, MD · Answer

It looks like you may have suffered some epidermolysis which is superficial loss of the top layers of skin similar to a 2nd degree burn. This is usually caused by some degree of reduced blood flow to the nipple. The good news is that if they are pink- they should heal completely but it may take several months for the pigment to return to normal. You should see little islands of brown skin start to form and eventually reform the normal areola color. I agree with a bland ointment like Bacitracin or Neosporin. Have to be patient but things are likely to turn out fine.

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

Thank you for the photos though a full examination is really needed.  You appear to have had vascular compromise to your areola complexes. Though from the photos without an exam it is impossible to say how deep the injury is so carefully follow your treating physician's instructions.Dr Corbin

Daniel Greenwald, MD (in memoriam) · Answer

The outer layers of the skin did not survive your surgery but the deeper tissues are okay as evidenced by the pink color.  You should go on to make a full recovery.  You may have loss of pigment there for a long time, maybe even forever, which would require tattooing for a permanent fix.

3 weeks post op of Breast Reduction, my areola turn into pink meat. When will this heal? (photos)

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