Macromastia reduction surgery can improve adverse symptoms in women's chests. Some young women have overly full breasts which even exceed the weight their bodies can bear, at which point macromastia reduction surgery is needed. Experts will here introduce postoperative care points for macromastia reduction surgery. Before understanding some common knowledge about postoperative macromastia reduction, let us take a look at the surgical methods for reducing large breasts. It generally uses general anesthesia. The surgery requires three incisions, one of which surrounds the areola. Another incision runs vertically downwards from the bottom of the areola to the lower fold of the breast. The third incision follows the natural curve of the breast fold. After excessive breast tissue, fat, and skin are removed during macromastia reduction surgery, the nipple and areola are elevated to a higher position. The areola often becomes enlarged due to stretching and needs to be reduced. The skin above the areola is pulled down and sutured around the areola, reshaping the breast. Once all aspects such as size and shape of the breast meet the requirements, the incisions can be stitched.
Postoperative attention points for macromastia reduction surgery:
1. Condition observation. Within 24 hours after macromastia reduction surgery, patients should be inspected every 2-4 hours. Observe and record the color and amount of drainage fluid, ensure that the wound dressing is neither too tight nor too loose. Pay special attention to the placement of the drainage strip because bleeding often first seeps out from where the drainage strip is placed. Inquire if the patient feels intolerable swelling or breathing difficulties in the surgical area. If these symptoms occur, check if the wound is wrapped too tightly or if there is bleeding under the flap. If abnormalities are detected, immediate corresponding treatment should be given and the doctor informed.
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2. Positioning. After the patient regains consciousness from anesthesia, place them in a semi-reclined position to facilitate the drainage of fluids. Avoid movement for 48 hours after macromastia reduction surgery to prevent wound bleeding or splitting.
3. Observation of flap blood circulation. When dressing with an "open window" technique, expose the nipples and areolas to observe their color, elasticity, and pressure response. Normal nipple and areola colors: unmarried individuals have pink nipples and areolas, while married ones are brown. A normal pressure response time is 1-3 seconds. If the skin turns purplish-blue, severely swollen, and the pressure response time exceeds 5 seconds, it indicates poor blood circulation in the flap. In this group, 2 cases experienced venous return obstruction, where the flap turned dark red, was swollen, and the pressure response time exceeded 6 seconds. The main reasons were: ① twisting or compression of the pedicle; ② slightly small flap design, resulting in excessive tension when suturing or designing the pedicle too narrow. After adjusting the pedicle position, applying vasodilator drugs and heparin, maintaining appropriate room temperature (around 25℃), and using infrared lamps locally, the swelling of the flaps decreased after 3 days, blood circulation improved, and the color returned to normal.
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4. Monitoring body temperature. This macromastia reduction surgery removes a large amount of glandular tissue and skin, creating a large wound surface, thus increasing the chances of infection. Closely monitor the temperature post-surgery every 4 hours. Strictly control the timing and dosage of medication when administering intramuscular or intravenous drugs to prevent infections. Among the group of 5 patients who had elevated temperatures post-surgery, 3 had absorption fever (37.8℃) which subsided on its own after 3 days, while 2 had temperatures exceeding 38.6℃. They complained of wound swelling and pain. Upon examination, the wounds were found to be red and swollen, with white blood cell counts at 12×10^9/L and neutrophils at 0.80. Intravenous administration of 8 million units of penicillin once daily for 7 consecutive days was given, and local wounds were treated with wet dressings using 0.1% gentamicin gauze strips. After 5 days, the body temperature dropped back to the normal range.
5. Discharge instructions. Generally, stitches are removed about 10 days after macromastia reduction surgery. Elastic shaping bras should be worn immediately after removing stitches to maintain breast shape. Before discharge, patients are advised to come for regular follow-ups, seek medical attention if uncomfortable, and persist in follow-up for 2 years. For those who develop macromastia due to weight gain after childbirth and breastfeeding, they are advised to strengthen exercise, especially artistic gymnastics and aerobics that develop pectoral muscles, control diet appropriately, consume more protein-rich, high-fiber, low-fat, and low-sugar foods, cultivate good eating habits, consistently exercise, maintain a good posture with chest out and stomach in, to achieve an aesthetically pleasing figure.
A well-proportioned figure is the goal pursued by beauty-conscious women, yet many women suffer from the troubles of macromastia. To free themselves from such concerns, they may opt for macromastia reduction surgery to create a delicate and curvaceous figure.