Why will I not be able to shower after my breast reduction?

Thanks for your question! This seems a bit unusual to me; however, I'm not the one to answer this question for you. I would suggest reaching out to your doctor's office to find out why they have that recommendation in place. Good luck!

Not showering for five weeks seems excessive. Often it is recommended to avoid prolonged submersion like in a pool, hot tub, etc but showering within a few days of surgery is typically acceptable. I encourage you to discuss your concerns with your surgeon.

Dear sachejay,
every plastic surgeon has his own preoperative protocol which he recommends to his patients. I would suggest you to discuss this with your plastic surgeon.
Daniel Barrett, MDCertified, American Board of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Hello @sachejay, thank you for your question. Your wound needs to stay dry because moisture can increase the number of bacteria in the wound, which can lead to infection. You want to minimize the risk of infection to help your wound heal properly that's why you need to follow your doctors recommendations to a T. Best wishes! Alan Gonzalez MD, FACS. American Society of Plastic Surgery Member (ASPS), International Federation for Adipose Therapeutics and Science” Member (IFATS), American Society of Plastic Surgery Member (ASPS), Colombian Society of Plastic Surgery member (SCCP)

You will not be able to get your glue and surgical tapes wet for they will come off in the shower. Please follow your surgeon's advice. You can still bathe around the areas.

After a breast reduction, your surgeon may advise against showering for a specific period to allow proper healing of incisions. This helps minimize the risk of infection and ensures the surgical site remains dry during the initial stages of recovery. Always follow your surgeon’s post-operative care instructions for the best outcome.

We typically recommend that you allow a couple days after surgery for your incisions to start to heal. In my practice, I allow patients to shower on the second day after surgery and get everything wet and pat things dry. Thereafter I recommend support. I have not seen an increase in infection or complications with this methodology. You should be able to shower within a few days of surgery. This may be a good question for your surgeon to specifically answer for you.We would love to talk to you more about this. -Webb Plastic Surgery

After the surgery you will have dressings that need to be left for a couple of weeks usually. They are often absorbent to collect any discharge from the wounds. These are usually left for two weeks and then removed in clinic. After that the healing wounds benefit from regular irrigation with water and a shower is excellent for that as bacteria are flushed away.

I’ve never heard of such a thing! My patients shower two days post op-even with drains (for the past 37 years without a single infection).

If you have no drains, and all dissolvable sutures I see no medical reason why you need to wait 5 weeks to shower. You should politely ask the doctor exactly the reason for that policy. If you have that surgeon do your reduction, you should follow their specific regimen. Don't change because of advice on the internet.