I had a bad infection 1 month after reduction and had to be re closed. It feels like a tennis ball in that breast due to tissue necrosis per my surgeon. What can I do?
When a breast reduction is performed, the breast is taken apart and then put back together after removing tissue and skin. In that process, sometimes there are areas of the skin or tissue that don't end up getting enough blood supply. This can cause loss of skin or scarring within the breast tissue, known as fat necrosis. Infection can compound this problem. You don't say how long it's been since your surgery, but often fat necrosis can improve with time, as inflammation subsides and the scar tissue gets remodeled. Hopefully you will notice the breast getting softer as the months go by. Sometimes, if the firmness does not go away, and particularly if it is painful, the damaged tissue can be removed, but that can cause the breasts to be asymmetric size wise and shape wise. Massage and time are your best friend. Hang in there.
Thank you for sharing your experience and I am sorry to hear of your necrosis issues. At the current time the best treatment is careful observation for a reduction in your tissue swelling and a return to a more normal skin and breast tissue appearance and feel. The majority of the devitalized tissue was removed at the time of your revision and the remaining tissue should improve with enough maturation time. Hang in there and maintain close follow up with your surgeon so that they can provide you reassurance.