Is Significant Breast Pain After Augmentation & Mastopexy Standard?

It sounds like your wife is still healing from her procedure, and it is not uncommon for one side to feel different or take longer to settle down than the other side. I would recommend patience, but it may certainly help to touch base with her surgeon, have him take a look at her, and make sure nothing else is going on.

         Breast lift and
augmentation are often accompanied by pain, swelling and hypersensitivity.
These are essentially normal findings which usually resolve on their own. The
burning, stabbing sensation that you describe is known as a dysesthesia. It’s
very similar to what happens when your leg falls asleep. The phenomena occurs
when the nerves are compressed or stretched.

 

         During and after
breast augmentation surgery, this is exactly what happens to the nerves that
supply the breasts. The breast implant underneath the nipple compresses and
stretches the soft tissue and nerves that supply the nipple and areola. In many
cases, this process is made worse by swelling.

 

         Patients typically
describe a painful, tingling, burning sensation that can be very uncomfortable.
In many cases, clothing rubbing against the area can elicit a pins and needles
sensation.

 

         These symptoms
usually resolve in six to eight weeks without intervention. In some cases,
aggressive massage can desensitize the area and minimize the pain and
discomfort associated with this condition.

This problem should be immediately reported to your surgeon.  It might be nothing but there is the definite possibility of a hematoma that should be dealth with relatively quickly. 

Pain during the recovery period after breast augmentation and mastopexy varies with each patient, and may be quite different on one side or the other. It is important to rule out an acute problem, such as hematoma or infection, but it is possibly due to dissection around the pectoral muscle to allow implant placement. Other than pain medications and muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatory medications, gentle massage and warm compresses may all provide some relief, but make sure to discuss any treatments with your plastic surgeon.

 

It is common for a patient to have some level of discomfort after a breast lift with implants. The pain does not come so much from the breast lift but from elevating the muscle off the chest and placing the implants underneath. The amount of pain that you will experience is also determined by the techniques your surgeon uses. In our practice, we avoid touching the sensitive portions of your chest such as your ribs and the tissue surrounding the ribs. We also provide meticulous control bleeding as we do not want extra blood to collect or to irritate the surrounding tissue. After the surgery, we recommend that patients place ice onto their breasts as this will help alleviate some of the swelling. If you prevent swelling you can greatly diminish the resulting pain.