u/Informal-Flight-4296

6 week PO from explant, lift + galaflex and wondering what is happening to my left breast. The bottom feels and looks flat and empty now. Upper area where more volume
Is has some hard spots like lumps. This is also the breast that was swollen and leaked fluid out my incision April 19th. It drained for like 2 days then nothing since. My surgeon said might be more fluid in there but it will probably be fine and just will take time to settle. Feels like since then it’s just gotten emptier in all these weird places. Like the volume is deflated from the bottom of the breast. I actually spoke to another PS for a second opinion and she said it was probably fat necrosis. Has this happened to anyone and did it end up settling? How is this fixed if not.

** I was already on antibiotics for infections and both PS said they don’t think I currently have an infection.

I’m looking to see if anyone else has experienced complications like this after using GalaFLEX mesh/internal bra during explant + lift surgery.
I had an explant with lift and internal mesh bra (GalaFLEX) on March 30. I’m currently 6 weeks post-op and have had a lot of complications so far.
For background: I had a breast reduction in 2014 and implants placed in 2018 by the same surgeon and had absolutely no issues with either surgery. Healing was smooth both times.
This surgery has been completely different:
• April 1 – nipple necrosis started on my right nipple (still ongoing and being treated)
• My surgeon has debrided the area twice already and expects I may need another debridement on May 21
• April 20 – my left breast started collecting fluid and draining out of the incision
• May 1 – my right breast incision underneath near the armpit became irritated, collected fluid, and drained from the incision
• May 3 – my left vertical incision started looking stretched, translucent, and very thin. My surgeon believes there is still fluid collection in that breast but chose not to drain it and said it will either reabsorb or eventually drain on its own
My left breast has consistently been more swollen in the upper pole area. The areas where fluid collected now have this dry, peeling, leathery/rubbery texture to the skin. The lower pole looks very flat and also has that weird leathery texture. I also have a lot of lumps and bumps throughout the breast tissue.
I can’t help but feel like a lot of this may be related to the GalaFLEX mesh/internal bra. Has anyone else had complications like this with mesh? Did things eventually settle down and heal into a more normal appearance over time? Did the weird texture/swelling/lumps improve eventually?
Would really appreciate hearing anyone’s experiences because this recovery has honestly been very overwhelming.

Has anyone here dealt with nipple necrosis or a partial/full thickness wound after breast surgery? I’m trying to hear from people who had wounds that looked similar and what your healing process was like.

I’m currently 6 weeks post-op from explant with breast lift + internal mesh bra galaflex and dealing with an open wound with slough/dead tissue after necrosis. My surgeon has already debrided the area twice, and they’re expecting I’ll likely need another debridement on May 21. He also suggested a skin graft once all the dead tissue is gone and healthy tissue granulation is present.

Right now I’ve been doing wet-to-dry gauze dressings and Hydrofera Blue with a silicone bandage over the top. I’m curious what wound care routine ended up working best for others and if anyone used something similar. How long did it take before you started seeing healthy tissue and significant healing?

If you ended up needing a skin graft, did it help? Where did they take the donor skin from, and how was the recovery for both the graft and donor site?

I know everyone heals differently, but hearing real experiences would really help mentally right now. Pictures or timelines are appreciated too if you’re comfortable sharing. Thanks