Infection after breast augmentation surgery

First, call your surgeon immediately! An infection has the potential to require not one, but two or more operations--one to remove the implant, then a second to place another implant several months later (after the tissues have fully healed and matured).

Infections requiring implant removal are thankfully rare. The highest risk period is likely the initial healing period after surgery for several weeks. Diabetics and smokers are much more at risk, but the risk is never zero. After the initial healing period, we, on rare occasion, see "random" infections of the breast wherein it is difficult to identify a specific cause.

In an attempt to reduce the risk for a late infection, I generally give antibiotics before surgery intravenously and by mouth for five days after surgery. Additionally, I recommend a single dose of antibiotics prior to any invasive procedure or for dental cleaning or dental work (notably, surgeons differ on their antibiotic recommendations, and antibiotics themselves carry their own risks).

Signs and symptoms of a breast infection include:


Breast swelling

Pain or redness

Fevers, chills, or general weakness are other symptoms


Infections in the initial healing period would commonly have redness at the incision site and pain with or without swelling can be seen. If there is significant drainage from the incision site or an opening of the incision, this is particularly at risk of infecting the implant pocket.

When in doubt, generally antibiotics are given. Play it safe! If there is a question about an infection after breast augmentation surgery, it is important to be evaluated by your surgeon.

Infections related to breast augmentation wounds are typically very superficial and typically related to an internal dissolving suture wanting to "spit out". These are generally minor and self limiting.The greater concern is a deep infection within the implant pocket. This is a serious issue and will not go away with simple antibiotics. This would typically require further surgery (often two operations) to fix the problem.Ultimately, this is not something that you wait around to see what happens. You should immediately see your plastic surgeon and he/she will be able to assess and determine what the issues are and how they should be treated.

See your surgeon as soon as possible. Stop self medicating and let them figure out what the best course of action is.

         Infection following
breast augmentation is a serious complication that can result in patients
losing their breast implants. Signs of infection include; redness, swelling,
drainage, pain, fever and flu like symptoms.

         When any of these
symptoms occur, they should be investigated aggressively. This may include
laboratory studies, ultrasonography, and possibly fluid aspiration from the
breast pocket for culture.

         Based on your
history, it appears that you have a superficial type of infection known as a
stitch abscess. This results from an absorbable suture protruding through the
skin and becoming secondarily infected.

         Treatment involves
removing the suture and treating the wound with dressing changes and antibiotics.
If improvement doesn’t occur rapidly, then further investigation is indicated
to rule out infection of the breast pocket.

         It’s important that
your plastic surgeon closely monitors your progress. It appears that your wound
is slowly improving and should continue to get better with time. 

Sounds like a very localized reaction to the suture.  I have seen this happen in some patients that are sensitive to certain absorbable sutures including barbed sutures.  If it has taken this long to resolve, I would recommend excising the the area and closing again in a different fashion.  

There are two major types of infections that are seen after breast augmentation surgery.  The more common type of infection is superficial in natural, usually clears up with antibiotics, and occurs in roughly 1% of cases.  Less commonly, deeper infections can occur which involve the implant.  These infections are much more serious, and can require intravenous antibiotics or even removal of the implant.  It can sometimes be a challenge determining if a deeper infection has occurred.  Your best resource is a board certified plastic surgeon with experience performing breast augmentation.