folded nipple after surgery

[Ride09]

Any improvements for you? I had the medical tape taken off yesterday and he removed stitching that did not dissolve itself. After one day i already see mass improvement in the fold and it looks like it should flatten out over time.

Another question though...my right nipple is puffy now. I don't have to wear the compression vest and i don't feel swollen, so i'm guessing scar tissue is forming and pushing it out? any thoughts?

[crossfit99]

Any improvements for you? I had the medical tape taken off yesterday and he removed stitching that did not dissolve itself. After one day i already see mass improvement in the fold and it looks like it should flatten out over time.

Another question though...my right nipple is puffy now. I don't have to wear the compression vest and i don't feel swollen, so i'm guessing scar tissue is forming and pushing it out? any thoughts?

Dude we are like right on the same track. My right nip (the one that wasn't AS bad) has unfolded dramatically over the last week or so; BUT it does appear to be a little puffy on the top. It also seems as if the scar tissue is sucking down the skin (along the incision site) and that's what's giving it the 'indentation' look. Compile that with the little bit of puffyness of the nip and it looks a little odd, especially in animation.

My left nip, the one that had 2 pretty gnarly creases, does seem a little better. Its definitely puffy/fatty on the top portion and almost gives the 'pointed down' affect that I had pre-op, but on a smaller scale.

It's weird, I too only had incision done and truly never felt I was SWOLLEN. It's REALLY hard to tell the difference between swollen, or what I believe to be is excess fat left over from not doing the lipo. Hell, some of the 'bumps' or 'knotty masses' I feel up there could very well be scar tissue. It seems they are a bit tender at the touch, but I am not sure what to make of that. -- Today is exactly 3 weeks for me and I go in @ 4pm for my check up. I am definitely going to express my dissatisfaction of the contour of my chest and see what he says.

I kind of think if I got my bodyfat down a bit and started hitting the gym I'd probably be OK. It's just frustrating that I payed 5k and the contour on its own isn't very good. I have seen dudes MUCH heavier than me, that got way better results (with the combo of lipo+excision) as far as contour etc.

At this point, I am not worried about have 'breasts' or really even puffy nips, I just don't want my chest to LOOK like I had surgery or I have some deformity.

[Ride09]

haha dude we are in the exact same boat right now. my surgeon told me that the excess stitching that was sticking out of my skin was interfering with the skin flattening out, so now that he took it out my left side that has the fold should return to normal (or so he says). my right nipple was perfectly flat right after the surgery but now that i don't have the compression vest on it's really puffy.

however, before surgery my nipples were "puffy" but they were kinda soft to the touch, like you could put a finger on it and push in down to the chest muscle. right now they're puffy but the mass under it is rock hard so it HAS to just be scar tissue and swelling i would think. anyway, keep me posted on what your surgeon says man and good luck today.

[crossfit99]

So doc said he thought the crease should come out. Cleared me to remove vest and goto the gym.

I really expressed my distaste in the contour and he said if need be he could go in there and lipo that top portion. I was relieved but disappointed that he didn't do it right the first time. As for now, I am just going to hit the gym hard, diet and see how it all shapes out.

[Ride09]

Would he charge you for the lipo?

[crossfit99]

Would he charge you for the lipo?

I asked how the fees would go and he kind of chuckled and said "dramatically less"... Then went on to say he may even be able to do it under local anesthesia; never really heard of lipo being done under local..but he would know better than I. My guess is I'd have to fork out somewhere between a 300-1k. It would suck, but I kinda bargained him down from the get go and paid 5k rather than the 6k that was proposed...So in the end id end up paying probably the original amount. I would do my best to not pay shit, considering if he would have done it right the first time I wouldn't be in this predicament. 

[Ride09]

Yeah man I paid 3K for mine, and he told me with lipo done throughout the whole chest it would have cost 5K so i'm guessing if i have revision surgery later i'll probably have to fork out the extra 2K and end up paying original price. I'll definitely try bargaining my way down too. But it's still early I guess for healing so hopefully it doesn't come to that.

[crossfit99]

Yeah man I paid 3K for mine, and he told me with lipo done throughout the whole chest it would have cost 5K so i'm guessing if i have revision surgery later i'll probably have to fork out the extra 2K and end up paying original price. I'll definitely try bargaining my way down too. But it's still early I guess for healing so hopefully it doesn't come to that.

Amen, just try to get bodyfat down (not that you have a lot), workout and try not to think about it.. Not sure for you, but for me at least I look WAY better in a t-shirt as of right now. We have a couple months before it really warms up so hopefully between diet/exercise and the evolution of tissue we are good to go!

[crossfit99]

Any progression?? Pretty sure I am pretty doomed. I think my only hope is to get REALLY low bodyfat, even then I don't know it will pull these creases out. Sucks.

[crossfit99]

Just saw your pics in 'ask a doc'... The left (the worse one?) is exactly how both mine are. I have more fat than you so it actually looks worse, nonetheless I feel your pain. I hate to be negative but i'd be very surprised if both of our creases came out. I was hoping lipo would help me, but you don't have much fat and yours is folded... wtf man

[Ride09]

Well after freaking out for the last week I finally went down and talked to my doctor. The swelling in the right he said was just fluid and wearing my compression vest should help my body reabsorb it. I wore the vest for the past 2 days and already the fluid is leaving the area. So as far as the right side everything looks great.

NOW..I may have some good news for us. According to my doctor, the fold is being caused by sutures/stitches inside the skin that have not dissolved yet. He told me the fold is because the stitches are still attached and pulling the nipple inward. Once they are dissolved by the body it should release the hold and allow the crease to go away.

So, if your case is a lot like mine I wouldn't freak out too much because this could be the problem. In fact when I talked to him he wasn't concerned with the fold at all, he was more concerned with the fluid building up in the other side. He said it could take 8-10 weeks for the sutures inside the skin to completely dissolve and to just keep massaging it so i'll do that for a few more weeks. If it doesn't go away by then i'll freak out haha.

Don't sweat it too much man, I keep seeing all these other great results for other people after 6 weeks and it kinda warped my vision of what I thought I would look like by now. Just gotta chill and give it some more time.

[crossfit99]

Well after freaking out for the last week I finally went down and talked to my doctor. The swelling in the right he said was just fluid and wearing my compression vest should help my body reabsorb it. I wore the vest for the past 2 days and already the fluid is leaving the area. So as far as the right side everything looks great.

NOW..I may have some good news for us. According to my doctor, the fold is being caused by sutures/stitches inside the skin that have not dissolved yet. He told me the fold is because the stitches are still attached and pulling the nipple inward. Once they are dissolved by the body it should release the hold and allow the crease to go away.

So, if your case is a lot like mine I wouldn't freak out too much because this could be the problem. In fact when I talked to him he wasn't concerned with the fold at all, he was more concerned with the fluid building up in the other side. He said it could take 8-10 weeks for the sutures inside the skin to completely dissolve and to just keep massaging it so i'll do that for a few more weeks. If it doesn't go away by then i'll freak out haha.

Don't sweat it too much man, I keep seeing all these other great results for other people after 6 weeks and it kinda warped my vision of what I thought I would look like by now. Just gotta chill and give it some more time.

Ok cool! I reaaaallllyyy hope your doc is right. I'm just lifting and training in the gym hoping for the best. All I can do right now...glad things are looking better for you.

[Ride09]

Any updates for you man? I went for my 6 week post op the other day and he injected me with some kind of steroid to break up scar tissue and swelling and everything. He also said the steroid should help dissolve the suture that's causing that damn fold.

[crossfit99]

Any updates for you man? I went for my 6 week post op the other day and he injected me with some kind of steroid to break up scar tissue and swelling and everything. He also said the steroid should help dissolve the suture that's causing that damn fold.

Nice...I am just over 5 weeks and honestly no real change. Not expecting much at this point, I go back in may 14 Nd I'm gonna try to set a date for lipo.

Let me know how the shot does, my left side (the worse of the two) probably looks better than the right but neither are pretty unless I roll my shoulder way back, to the point it looks ridiculous as if I am trying to puff my chest way out. On my right, along the incision its just sucked down tight and the nip appears a bit puffy , the combo sucks. It just feels like fat behind Tue nip but who knows...both could use lipo all around to help the contour, for sure.

[Ride09]

well good luck dude, and i'll keep you posted on how these shots end up working. recovery is starting to depress me haha i just wish i could fast foward a few months to see how it's all gonna turn out