Advice following TT, Breast lift with augmentation
I will be post op 2 weeks tomorrow. My surgeon has me wearing a Marena bra and of course a binder on my tummy. I really have done very well with pain and recovery. I thought my stomach would be the worst and honestly it sucked bad for first two nights but since then it has been my breasts causing me lots of pain. I keep the girls locked tightly in their surgical bra but swelling has been the bigger issue lately. With that swelling my skin is getting raw. i don't put ice directly on my skin, it just seems as if my skin has become extra sensitive.
I wear a muscle t-shirt over the bra and under the binder.
Does anyone have any tips or tricks they learned that might help with skin soreness? I have been told no lotion until i hit the 3 week mark but I am starting to get desperate for some relief.
I had irritation along the creases under my breast and on the sides where my arms rubbed against the suture line. So I used silicone scar tape as a protective barrier. They have thin and wide and it is cheap on Amazon. It is also reusable a number of times, wa**** in the bathroom sink and set to dry. It gets re-sticky.
I also wore a soft, thin tank or t-shirt under my compression.
Cynthia 5'11" RNY 7/23/2014
Goal reached 17 months. 220lb Weight Loss
Plastic Surgery Dr. Joseph Michaels - LBL and Hernia Repair 2/29/16, Arm Lift, BL, 5/2/16, Leg Lift 7/25/16
#lifeisanadventure #fightthegoodfight #noregrets
Thanks for this suggestion. I have 1 more week before I am allowed to put something on the scars. My surgeon likes BioCorneum silicone gel. I use it post brachioplasty and it worked great but given the scar directly under my breast I like the idea of the tape. I will ask her about it when I go get my last drain removed. Hopefully in the next few days or monday at the latest.\
Thanks again!
Deb
My surgeon uses Biocorneum too... I wasn't really using it for the scars, but more as a protection from irritation... it won't do any damage or stick too tight to the scar line because it really is only tacky..
I had in some of the reviews that some people used both the biocorneum and the tape but I couldn't get the tape to really stick then...
Cynthia 5'11" RNY 7/23/2014
Goal reached 17 months. 220lb Weight Loss
Plastic Surgery Dr. Joseph Michaels - LBL and Hernia Repair 2/29/16, Arm Lift, BL, 5/2/16, Leg Lift 7/25/16
#lifeisanadventure #fightthegoodfight #noregrets
My rule: DO NOT SWEAT. The fluid that used to come to the surface of the skin as sweat now just fills up the space around the cells that were damaged via the surgery. Opportunistic swelling is what my dr called it. Stay cool. I went for a little stroll 10 days post op, and I BLEW up. It took 2 weeks to get back to where I was.
I had a one and a two week check-up - have you been back to your surgeon. Maybe you are allergic to something. I don't know how else your skin is getting raw if you are not rubbing it.
How active are you being - are they getting raw because you are moving your arms too much. For the first month, the only exercise I would do is to push the buttons on the remote.
The silicone strips do help, but you might be a little early for it. I am 6 months out from arm lift and breast lift with fat transfer, but no implants. So my surgery was a little different. But, just for comparison, it was MUCH MORE difficult to recover from the plastics than from the WLS. (2 hour vs 8 hour surgery). I wish you were more comfortable because they are difficult recoveries.
Sharon
Thanks. This is my second round of plastics. I had my arms done in July and that was tough for me because i did have an allergy to the surgical glue.
This time it is definately not a allegy and the only place i am swelling is my breasts and it sucks bad. I do think the skin soreness really is about the nerves more but my skin feels raw. Just hoping it gets better every day.
you are absolutely right I would have WLS many times over but plastics is rough! I have screws and plates in my spine in 4 different areas and that was a piece of cake compared to plastics. Its a different type of pain an it takes a lot time to recover.
I put unscented maxipads on my incisions inside my bra to help cushion them from the bra (I did not stick them to the bra- the bra held them in place). That helped me a lot.
Laura in Texas
53 years old; 5'7" tall; HW: 339 (BMI=53); GW: 140 CW: 170 (BMI=27)
RNY: 09-17-08 Dr. Garth Davis
brachioplasty: 12-18-09 Dr. Wainwright; lbl/bl: 06-28-11 Dr. LoMonaco
"May your choices reflect your hopes and not your fears."
I will give that a try. Just out of curiosity did you have a lift and augmentation? I did and 99% of my pain is in my sternum and at the tops of my breasts. I ice them a lot but darn it, I cannot seem to get relief. The more I sit up, the worst it gets. If I lay back it improves a little. I am wondering if this is normal and about how long before the pain settles down?
i am hoping to see them for my last drain removal tomorrow or Tuesday and I am going to request a pain med refill. Between the breast pain and hand pain, I just am feeling wimpy and it is beginning to drain me.