Having more beautiful breasts does not always mean having bigger breasts. Sometimes, having bigger breast doesn’t look attractive and many people sort to surgery as a solution. However, Infection is always a potential risk after any type of surgery, and plastic surgery is no exception. Do you know the signs of infection after breast reduction? This article will explore what is breast reduction, signs of infection after breast reduction and many more.

What is breast reduction surgery?

Breast reduction, also known as reduction mammaplasty, is a procedure to remove excess breast fat, glandular tissue and skin to achieve a breast size more in proportion with your body. Disproportionately large breasts can cause both physical and emotional distress for patients.

Patients with macromastia may experience physical discomfort resulting from the weight of their breasts.The resulting pain can make it challenging for some patients to perform common physical activities. Along with the physical ailments of macromastia, some patients may suffer from emotional distress or more significant mental health problems as a result of their large breasts.

For those with large breasts, breast reduction surgery can ease discomfort and improve appearance. Breast reduction surgery might also help improve self-image and the ability to take part in physical activities.

Reasons for Breast Reduction Surgery

Breast reduction surgery is meant for people who have large breasts that cause the following:

• Chronic back, neck and shoulder pain
• Shoulder grooves from bra straps
• Chronic rash or skin irritation under the breasts
• Nerve pain
• Not being able to take part in some activities
• Poor self-image due to large breasts
• Trouble fitting into bras and clothing

Preparation for Surgery

Your plastic surgeon will likely:

• Look at your medical history and overall health
• Discuss what size you want your breasts to be and how you want them to look after the surgery
• Describe the surgery and its risks and benefits, including likely scarring and possible loss of feeling
• Examine and measure your breasts
• Take photographs of your breasts for your medical record
• Explain the type of medicine used to put you to sleep during surgery
  Planning breast reduction surgery might require:
• A mammogram
• Not smoking for at least six weeks before and after surgery
• Not taking aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs and herbal supplements, to control bleeding during surgery
• Usually, you can go home the day of the surgery. Arrange for someone to drive you home from the hospital.

What breast reduction involves

Breast reduction surgery is carried out under general anaesthetic. This means you’ll be asleep during the operation.
Generally, the operation involves:

• moving your nipple to its new position – usually while it’s still attached to the blood supply
• removing excess fat, glandular tissue and skin from your breasts
• reshaping the remaining breast tissue
• The operation takes 2 to 3 hours, depending on the extent of the breast reduction.
• You’ll usually need to stay in hospital for 1 or 2 nights.

Types and procedure for breast reduction

The method used to reduce the size of your breasts can vary. The process might include:

• Surgery through incisions
• Liposuction to remove excess fat in the breasts
  The surgeon usually:
• Makes an incision around the nipple and areola and down each breast
• Removes excess breast tissue, fat and skin to reduce the size of each breast
• Reshapes the breast and resets the nipple and area around it, also known as the areola
  The nipple and the area around it usually stay attached to the breast. For very large breasts, the surgeon might need to remove them and add on a new nipple.
  Your surgeon will try to make your breasts look alike, but breast size and shape might vary somewhat. The size of the areola also might be smaller. The incision scars will fade over time, but they won’t completely go away.

Signs of Infection after Breast reduction

After your procedure, it’s important to be on the lookout for signs and symptoms of an infection. Call your surgeon right away if you experience any of these:

Fluid

As your wound heals, you will notice some watery discharge coming out of the incision area. This is perfectly normal and will usually occur for the first two to three days following the procedure.
If you have greenish, yellowish, or cloudy drainage seeping from the surgical site, your healing incisions might be infected, and you will need to contact your surgeon as soon as possible.

Redness

Some degree of redness and pain is typical following your surgical procedure. However, extreme redness that spreads as thready, spiderweb patterns beyond the wound could indicate a possible infection. Contact your surgeon to help you avoid further complications.

Raised Skin

Ideally, healing wounds should remain relatively flat. If it is not, that might be a sign that something is not healing appropriately.
A case in point may be a breast implant incision that stays red and swollen for sеvеrаl weeks post-operation.
An infected wound will have enlarged and hardened lymph nodes, especially close to the surgery site.
As a matter of precaution, it’s important to contact your surgeon to have him/her examine your surgical site and test the fluid around your implant for signs of bacteria.
Unfortunately, some wounds become hypertrophic scars or turn into keloid scars, which are raised and thick lesions that develop at the site of an injury (such as a surgical wound). These scars are sometimes inevitable; however, they may be avoided with adequate scar care during the healing process

Other Signs of infection after breast reduction

Like all surgery, there are other infection. If the area around your decision is…

• warm to the touch,
• firm, or painful,
• you have a fever,
• nausea,
• vomiting, these all may be signs of infection.

Risks of Breast Reduction

Breast reduction surgery has the same risks as other major surgeries — bleeding, infection and a bad reaction to the anesthesia. Other possible risks include:

• Bruising, which is temporary
• Scarring
• Difficulty or inability to breastfeed
• Differences in the size, shape, and look of the left and right breasts
• Not being happy with the results
• Rarely, losing the nipples and skin around the nipples or the feeling in them

Treatment of infection after breast reduction

If it turns out you’ve developed an infection after plastic surgery, you’ll probably be prescribed an oral antibiotic. If more drastic treatment is needed—your incision must be opened and drained, or an implant removed—it’s likely you’ll have a more prominent scar. The surgeon may be able to revise that later. You may need to be hospitalized for a severe infection so you can receive intravenous antibiotics. Remember, though, that infection after plastic surgery is rare. Follow your surgeon’s instructions and you should get the result you wanted.