Post-Op Care
Following the procedure, a non-adherent gauze dressing and a generous amount of ointment will be placed onto your breast and held in place by surgical tape. The dressing will need to be changed every few hours for the first few days. If you have been tattooed as part of your reconstruction, your tattoo will probably ooze a mixture of ink and blood. It is important not to let the tattoo get dry, or to allow excessive friction between clothing and the tattoo during this time.
Because of the blood, the tattoo’s color will appear much darker than it will be once it has healed. During the healing period, scabs will form and fall off, revealing the true color of the tattoo. Do not pick at the scab or try to remove it. If removed too early, the scab will take much of the tattooed pigment with it.
Recovery & Downtime
Reconstruction of the nipple and areola is usually an outpatient procedure requiring less than an hour to complete. Most patients will have some mild pain or discomfort which may be treated with mild pain-killers, and will be able to return to their normal activities within a few days.
As with all surgical procedures, it is important to understand that these guidelines can vary widely based on the patient’s personal health, the techniques used, and other variable factors surrounding the surgery. Regardless, it is important to take care not to subject the procedure sites to excessive force, abrasion, or motion during the healing period. Any severe pain should be reported to your doctor.
Scarring and Sensation
If the reconstruction is accomplished by tattooing alone, there is no new scarring created. In the case of a flap reconstruction, the small scars are usually within the region of the nipple and are mostly hidden by the areola reconstruction. If a graft technique is used, a new scar will show up around the perimeter of the new areola. An additional scar is also created in the donor site.
Regardless of the method used for reconstruction, it is important to be prepared for the fact that the new nipple area will not have the same sensation as the nipple of the remaining breast (or the previous natural breasts).
Sources:
C-V Flap Nipple Reconstruction Combined With Areola Grafting, Yuksel F, Celikoz B. Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery 2003;36:71-5
Micropigmentation: Tattooing for Medical Purposes, Garg Geeta MD, Thami Gurvinder P. MD, Dermatologic Surgery, Volume 31 Issue 8 Page 928-931, August 2005
Skin-Sparing Mastectomy with Immediate Breast Reconstruction, S. E. Singletary, Annals of Surgical Oncology, Vol 3, Issue 4 411-416
