Quote from: harlee on February 01, 2015, 02:09:14 AM
I'm almost 5 months post-op now, time went so quick! I'm happy with the scars but not 100% on my nipples just yet. The right one is a little raised around the edges (I think its scaring?) but it might only be so noticeable because it is a different colour? Also, when I go swimming my nipples and areola seem to turn white and the skin looks like it wants to peel off. I haven't heard anyone talk about this  The colouring is pretty off altogether so I might consider tattooing after 2 years post op if I'm still not happy. Did anyone have the edges of their areola flatten over time? 

The red marks and white lines near the scar are because I've just taken off the micropore paper tape that I use. That will go away after 10 minutes or so. I havent used any scar creams, silicon, or massaging, just the  tape 24/7

Left


Right

Looking great, harlee!

I have a small blob (?) of skin on the edge on one of the areolas.  I have a couple of sleeveless workout shirts(underarmour type) that you can see my areolas/nipples through because T has really increased my chest size.  That one raised area can be seen against the shirt, almost like a small nipple.  So it looks like I have an areola with two nips on it when I put on these shirts.

Anyway, I am tossing the shirts because I wouldn't wear any shirt where you could see my areolas, but I admit this is disappointing.  Also, harlee some edges of the areolas take time to take on the color.  I just looked at mine and spots where they were completely white, are now turning red.  They weren't the last time I looked, which was probably less than two months ago (right around the one year mark).  I would say the edges that still weren't flat came down around the same time (one year mark).  I think your goal of waiting two years is a smart one.

My one nipple is larger than the other, but there is nothing I can do about that.  However, it also has some white on it.  The colors of the nipples have not changed over these 14 months, if that is of any help.

Hoping you guys can give some advice. Almost 4 weeks post-op with Garramone (surgery was 1/7) and seem to be healing up slowly but nicely overall. I'm 39 so don't bounce back as quick as someone younger might, I guess.

Anyway, I've had this redness under my incisions since about a week after I took the steri strips off. I was using ScarGuard at first but found it just as annoying as everyone said it was so switched to the ScarAway strips. I thought maybe the strips were the problem but the redness doesn't extend to my armpits, it's only on the front, on both sides.

I talked to Garramone about it today and he didn't seem worried since it's not swollen and there's no fluid or pus or anything. He said to try Advil but it hasn't seemed to help.

Also, two nights this week it got little worse, like just covering a bigger area and brighter in color, but then seems to settle down by morning. It also doesn't really hurt, but you know, it's all still pretty tender so who knows.

Has this happened to anyone? Any ideas on if there's anything I can/should do? I'm a little worried. I've made it this far, don't wanna get it all messed up now!

Thanks guys.

There are faint pen lines in this pic where I was keeping track of whether it grew or shrank (it shrank). (Also the redness around my nipples is just from the bandages as per usual)

If you are getting MORE redness (I think some is probably normal and why Garramone didn't react to it), it could be an infection. I believe that's possible. I'd get back to him and say it's worse (perhaps pictures). You could try the triple antibiotic cream over the incision, but I think you should talk to him.

BTW, I'd stay off all the scar products. I actually didn't use them til my incision had more or less healed and it was just a scar.

--Jay

Quote from: newyorker75 on February 02, 2015, 09:35:26 PM
Hoping you guys can give some advice. Almost 4 weeks post-op with Garramone (surgery was 1/7) and seem to be healing up slowly but nicely overall. I'm 39 so don't bounce back as quick as someone younger might, I guess.

Anyway, I've had this redness under my incisions since about a week after I took the steri strips off. I was using ScarGuard at first but found it just as annoying as everyone said it was so switched to the ScarAway strips. I thought maybe the strips were the problem but the redness doesn't extend to my armpits, it's only on the front, on both sides.

I talked to Garramone about it today and he didn't seem worried since it's not swollen and there's no fluid or pus or anything. He said to try Advil but it hasn't seemed to help.

Also, two nights this week it got little worse, like just covering a bigger area and brighter in color, but then seems to settle down by morning. It also doesn't really hurt, but you know, it's all still pretty tender so who knows.

Has this happened to anyone? Any ideas on if there's anything I can/should do? I'm a little worried. I've made it this far, don't wanna get it all messed up now!

Thanks guys.

There are faint pen lines in this pic where I was keeping track of whether it grew or shrank (it shrank). (Also the redness around my nipples is just from the bandages as per usual)

Quote from: newyorker75 on February 02, 2015, 09:35:26 PM
Hoping you guys can give some advice. Almost 4 weeks post-op with Garramone (surgery was 1/7) and seem to be healing up slowly but nicely overall. I'm 39 so don't bounce back as quick as someone younger might, I guess.

Anyway, I've had this redness under my incisions since about a week after I took the steri strips off. I was using ScarGuard at first but found it just as annoying as everyone said it was so switched to the ScarAway strips. I thought maybe the strips were the problem but the redness doesn't extend to my armpits, it's only on the front, on both sides.

I talked to Garramone about it today and he didn't seem worried since it's not swollen and there's no fluid or pus or anything. He said to try Advil but it hasn't seemed to help.

Also, two nights this week it got little worse, like just covering a bigger area and brighter in color, but then seems to settle down by morning. It also doesn't really hurt, but you know, it's all still pretty tender so who knows.

Has this happened to anyone? Any ideas on if there's anything I can/should do? I'm a little worried. I've made it this far, don't wanna get it all messed up now!

Thanks guys.

There are faint pen lines in this pic where I was keeping track of whether it grew or shrank (it shrank). (Also the redness around my nipples is just from the bandages as per usual)

i also went to Garramone.....my nipples and chest turned all different colors of the rainbow while healing....bruising, inflamed, red....its usually normal and judging by your pics looks great for 4 weeks post op....at 4 weeks my incisions were not only very red but my chest was bruised yellow and brown in certain spots.....it takes a while to heal.....i am 11 months post op and still having issues with sutures not dissolving and coming out through my skin and forming little infections.   If the redness gets worse and starts hurting very bad i would give Garramone a call.....i had to do that for excess swelling.....he will likely tell u to see a GP or go to the ER depending how bad it is......when i showed him a pic of my chest at a little over a month he said it looked like i could have fluid build up and make an emergency appt with my GP and if i could not get an ER appointment go to the ER.....but my chest was blown up pretty bad.....yours looks like normal healing

Thanks guys. I went to my Dr yesterday and she isn't sure what's causing it either, but didn't think it was an infection. And it's definitely not bruising. She said to stop using the strips (good call, Jay) and only use the ScarGuard, if anything. Of course, if it gets worse, she'll throw some antibiotics my way, but we're holding off on that for now.

It does seem to be fading a tiny bit today. I'm not putting anything on the incisions except neosporin.

AleskiJason, I'm sorry you went through all that, but I gotta say, it really does help to know that not *everyone* looks perfect at 4 weeks (all the youtube vids seem to show these flawless, non-red chests 4 wks post-op, so that's what made me more nervous).

I'm also supposed to stop using the xeroform and neosporin on my nipples by now, but one of the stitches came loose and revealed a sort of red opening underneath, so I'm continuing with that for one or two more days. Figure it can't hurt. Just wanna be very sure to not expose anything to infection at this point. But feel free to correct me if you think I should be doing something different.

Other than this redness, I couldn't be happier with my results so far. 

Do NOT use scar guard. This stuff is NASTY. It has acetone and so on in there. It is irritating to the skin. Heck you'd be better off with the strips. You could even be allergic to silicone. You should just stop all this stuff. Get it cleared up first. Your scars are not going to be all that terrible. I know guys who used nothing, and there are other options.

One or two loose stitches aren't going to matter after three weeks, but fwiw continuing for another week isn't going to hurt any.

--Jay

Agreed....stay away from ScarGuard!!!   i dont know whats in that ->-bleeped-<-.....but its mostly bad chemicals.....u open the jar and the entire room stinks up of the chemicals.....my dad kept asking me what that smell was.....thats how strong it is......NOTHING like that should be put on your body....nevermind a healing incision.....i have the feeling the makers of ScarGuard payed a ->-bleeped-<-load of money to get the "doctor recommended" ->-bleeped-<- on it......it made my scars hurt and get very red and inflamed and infected......as soon as i stopped using it they got better.....  I recommend ScarAway Brand Silicone Gel .....its very soothing on the scars, has no smell, and is 100% silicone without any chemicals.....my scars/incisions immediately got better when i switched from scarguard to scaraway gel.   You can get it on Amazon......i think the Gel is better than the strips cause u can massage the gel into your scars which is good for them.....the strips u cant massage them.

Hey guys,

Things are healing up nicely, six weeks post-op but... now I'm having a little nipple issue. That redness is slowly fading, scar strips are back on with no problems, but I've had this little bump/lump on one nipple.

I actually saw my dr today and we didn't even talk about it because it hadn't been bothering me, but then tonight it looked a little bigger. I gently poked around on it. It feels hard underneath and almost looks like it could pop if I tried to squeeze it hard (I tried a little, very very very gently, but then stopped). It's all red now, but so is the entire perimeter of that nipple, so I don't know. It also looks like it has a pore or tiny hole in the center.

Anyone got any ideas what it could be? Piece of stitch underneath? Gnarly pimple? Normal healing stuff?

I coated it with neosporin now, but just wondering if anyone had seen this before and has any ideas.

Adding pics below but be warned, they're super close-ups of my nipple!

(It's the little bump at the bottom left. The pics obviously don't do it justice, but it's fairly raised.)

Thanks as always.

Those are CLOSE UPS!! (And then I found out I had my screen at 120%! Still close). DOn't think there is really a big issue given you are only 6 weeks out. Doesn't look very unusual to me.
They really don't look that great til much later, imo.

--Jay

My nipples have produced a lot of white puss. The first time it came out hard and fast. There is a chance that it could be puss but I wouldn't pick at them at 6 weeks. My puss happened months later and due to what looked like a brown scab, not a red bump. It is close to the incision line so maybe a stitch is irritating it.

This is my first post in the thread. Had my surgery last month and I couldn't be happier. I was at a lowish weight at the time so they managed to do peri with resizing and aesthetically I'm very satisfied. Sensation isn't completely back yet, but I really don't care. My one concern is a little dent I have on the left side about an inch and a half down from the areola at the natural end of where the breast tissue used to be. Doc says it is scarring and has recommended massage, but I'm not seeing a difference.  Counting my blessings though!

Hey guy,
just had a DI revison + mansculpture. Will do a proper write up as I feel a bit better.
currently feeling pretty rough and lonely (came alone from UK)

Quote from: lost.cowboy on February 20, 2015, 07:30:53 AM
Hey guy,
just had a DI revison + mansculpture. Will do a proper write up as I feel a bit better.
currently feeling pretty rough and lonely (came alone from UK)

Hey man, I feel ya. I traveled over an ocean and a country to have my surgery done. Take time to rest. That travel really wrecks the body under the best of circumstances. Positive thoughts to you.

Quote from: lost.cowboy on February 20, 2015, 07:30:53 AM
Hey guy,
just had a DI revison + mansculpture. Will do a proper write up as I feel a bit better.
currently feeling pretty rough and lonely (came alone from UK)

Hey, man, congrats on the surgery!  Are you by yourself in a hotel?

Thanks guys, feeling a little more 'with it' now than in my original post!

So it's my 2nd day post-op. I'm staying in a hotel by myself about 5 miles north of Garramone's office.

As a couple of guys have noted, the mansculpture is just... uncomfortable, but overall pain levels are ok - just a sore throat from the surgery tube, and tightness of the bandage!

I've been doing ok timing my meds and emptying drains. Today I went down to breakfast in the lobby, although it was tiring and I felt disguisting!

Do you guys think a 5min walk over the road to subway would be a bit ambitious for maybe a couple of days time? I'm going to run out of pot noodles! Haha.

Only thing I haven't done is taken off the mansculpture girdle to remove the yucky gauze from underneath, I'm worries about knocking the drains and not being able to do it up tight again. Although, I've got to do something otherwise I'm guessing it will be quite a smell for Dr G on Wednesday!

Thanks for reading, I will do a proper write up of my experience when I get my laptop charged up (think it's too soon to start wiggling my plug adaptor out of the wall).

Good luck to all you out there also in recovery!

8 days post op and flew back across the Atlantic today



I couldn't be happier with the result - I'm just a bit worried it's maybe looking a bit bloody, and that I overdid it somehow on my travels? Does this look a cause for concern at day 8?

Thanks!

L.C. you look pretty normal for day 8. Congrats!

--Jay

Quote from: lost.cowboy on February 27, 2015, 06:21:30 AM
8 days post op and flew back across the Atlantic today



I couldn't be happier with the result - I'm just a bit worried it's maybe looking a bit bloody, and that I overdid it somehow on my travels? Does this look a cause for concern at day 8?

Thanks!

Is it actively bleeding? If so, you should see a dr. If it's just dried up blood stuck on that tape, you're probably good. It's messy for a while.

Thanks guys! (yeah it's just dried on the tape)

Looking great lost.cowboy!  Glad you made it back safe and sound!