Surgical tapes

[aleksandar]

Can someone please explain what function do the surgical tapes serve? I guess they protect the skin near the incisions from infecting, is that right? It's my fifth day after surgery and my skin was so unbearably itchy that I had to remove the vest and the tape for a short time. Previously (yesterday and the day before) I had removed the vest once or twice as well, for very short periods of time when I was going absolutely nuts (less than 3 minutes each time). I have three or four tapes on each nipple placed in different directions. Afterwards, I reapplied the same tapes, only now they do not feel as tight as they used to before I removed them. I guess the doctor attached them in a way that they would provide further compression. Or is that not what the tapes are used for? Did I make a mistake by removing the vest and the tapes for a moment? I only did it to keep my sanity. I still wear the vest and the tapes at least 23 hours and 55 minutes in the day. I'm just worried that I reapplied the tapes ineptly. Or is it fine as long as they are there?