Will a Piece of Gauze Embedded into the Incision Be Automatically Expelled by the Body? (photo)

Question

Three weeks after my mastopexy surgery with implants my left breast vertical incision opened at the bottom. A light red liquid continued to ooze out and every time I changed the gauze the wound would open up. After a week the doctor left the piece of gauze that was stuck in the wound and told me not to get it wet but to leave it there. It has been a week and it looks like it's embedded in the incision. Will the body reject it and fall off on it's own?

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

Usually if a breast incision broke down and the implant is not exposed, local wound care will help. Hopefully the wound will close. I would follow closely with your surgeon and cross your fingers that the implant does not get infected.

Darryl J. Blinski, MD · Answer

Thanks for the question and posted photo. Yes the body will expel this foreign body. This is a very old technique for wound healing. If this is the recommendation of your chosen surgeon you are in a quandary. Brest to follow his/her advise. GOOD LUCK!

Robert L. Kraft, MD, FACS · Answer

I recommend that you return to your plastic surgeon for followup.  The gauze could fall off on its own but your surgeon may remove it .  I typically have patients perform dressing changes daily but without knowing more about your postop course, it is difficult to comment.

John S. Poser, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

Gauze is made out of cotton and is not absorbed by the body, therefore, if there is a wedge of gauze in a wound, often times there will be fluid buildup around it. If it is just stuck more deeply in the wound it would have to be removed surgically.

Will a Piece of Gauze Embedded into the Incision Be Automatically Expelled by the Body? (photo)

Answers (4)