side effects of surgery

[wantnewlife]

can surgery cause some permanent side effects like numbness in some part of body specifically chest or abdomen or arms..
i have seen posts in this forum on such issues..
so am wondering if this kind of issue gyne surgery can result in?
 i heard some nerves could get cut during surgery.. can this be the reason for numbness?

[Litlriki]

Some numbness or tingling is common after many surgical procedures. That's true with liposuction.  Additionally, excision of gynecomastia tissue will lead to some numbness in the nipple as well.  In most cases, the sensory changes are transitory and much of the sensation will return to normal. 

A peculiar aspect of gynecomastia surgery which involves excision of the gland is that there is a deep sensory branch of the nerve that comes out from under the 4th rib, which plastic surgeons are very aware of because of its importance to women who undergo breast reduction.  The techniques in women are aimed at preserving that nerve branch so that they still have sensation in the nipple afterwards--specifically "erotic" sensation.  In men, we cut that nerve branch when we cut out the "gland," and there's really no way to preserve it.  Most men don't complain about it, since there is still normal cutaneous sensation from the nerves coming through the skin to the nipple.  But in some men who care about the "erotic" sensitivity of the nipple, they may be disappointed after their surgery when they find that their nipple is no longer "wired."

Rick Silverman

[wantnewlife]

Thanks Dr for your detailed explanation on possible side effects. i still have a question.. would the numbness/tingling be limited to chest area operated during surgery? or could i have them in some other area due to nerve cuts?

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Dr. Silverman covered the question quite well.

As for numbness elsewhere -- no -- it is only temporarily numb in the areas where the surgery was performed.

Dr Jacobs

[DrPensler]

Virtually any skin incision will disrupt some nerves which run in the skin. But a minimal diminution of sensation over the chest wall is not typically perceivable.A small loss of sensation on for instance an index finger might be a big deal.Arm or hand nerve  issues might be due to positioning during surgery but would not be directly attributed to the operation itself.There is always a transient loss of sensation over the chest after the surgery but it just is not a long term issue  because of nerve repair locally after the surgery.