Is It Normal To Develop Some Incisional Openings After Pectoral Implant Surgery?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have had some minor openings of my armpit incisions after getting pectoral implants. Is this normal?

A: This is perfectly normal with axillary fold incisions and is not rare after pectoral implant surgery. They are located in a tough spot to heal and often will develop some varying amounts of incisional edge separation which begin to appear 2 to 3 weeks after surgery. The proper strategy is to let them go on to heal secondarily. (from the inside out) No oral antibiotics are needed and trying to reclose these will fail 100% of the time. The body will naturally heal these up in 2 to 3 weeks. I would continue to shower and don’t worry about getting them wet. They may develop a little bleeding from time to time which is very normal as granulation tissue fills up the wound openings. Once the granulation tissue develops up to the wound edges the incision will close over it very rapidly. Your current wound care strategy is perfectly fine. This is just a very minor bump along the recovery process.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana