Nipple Reconstruction: Caring for yourself after surgery


Nipple Reconstruction: Caring for yourself after surgery

We are committed to helping you recover safely and quickly from your surgery. Use this information to take care of yourself at home. Your surgeon may have additional instructions for you after surgery. These instructions will be included in your after visit summary (AVS). Your care team will print your AVS and give it to you before you go home. If you have questions about your follow-up care, talk to your surgeon.


What can I expect after surgery?

You likely will have mild bruising, swelling and pain around your incisions. This discomfort will decrease within 1 week.

□ If you received local anesthesia in the clinic

  • Your surgical area will feel numb until the local anesthesia (numbing medicine) wears off—usually within 1 to 2 hours.
  • You may drive yourself home after surgery.

□ If you received general anesthesia in the operating room

  • This type of anesthesia puts you to sleep and may cause:
    • An upset stomach, nausea, vomiting and fatigue (feeling very tired). These effects may last 1 or 2 days.
    • A drowsy, dizzy or weak feeling for a few days after surgery.
  • You must have an adult 18 years or older drive you home from the Ambulatory Surgery Center.

How do I manage my pain?

  • Take acetaminophen (Tylenol) to manage your pain.
  • If you received a prescription for pain medicine, fill your prescription only if needed. Take exactly as directed.
    • As your pain improves, gradually switch from prescription pain medicine to acetaminophen.
    • Do not take acetaminophen and prescription pain medicine at the same time. Some prescription pain medicines contain acetaminophen, so taking acetaminophen in addition to your prescription pain medicine could be harmful.
    • Take your pain medicine with food to avoid an upset stomach.
  • Check your AVS to see if it’s OK to take ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) starting 3 to 5 days after surgery.
  • Do not take aspirin, herbal supplements or vitamins for 1 week after surgery. These medicines can increase bleeding and bruising.

How do I care for my incisions?

□ If you didn’t receive a skin graft

  • You will have bandages over your incisions. Remove the bandages 2 days after surgery.
  • Keep your incisions covered with a bandage or gauze for 1 week after surgery. Replace the covering with a new bandage or gauze daily.
  • Apply antibiotic ointment to your incisions 2 times a day for 1 week.
  • You will have stitches that close your nipple incisions. There are 2 types of stitches—stitches that dissolve and stitches that need to be removed.
    • If you have stitches that dissolve, they will disappear on their own within 2 weeks.
    • If you have stitches that need to be removed, your surgeon will have you schedule a follow-up appointment 2 weeks after surgery.

□ If you received a skin graft

You will have a bolster (foam support) placed over your nipple and areola (dark area around your nipple). The bolster protects your graft.

  • Leave the bolster in place until your follow-up appointment. Your surgeon will remove the bolster at that appointment.
  • If your surgeon prescribes antibiotics for you, take them as directed.

You also will have an incision at your donor site (area where the skin graft was taken from your body).

□ The stitches on your donor site incision will dissolve and disappear on their own within 2 weeks.

□ Don’t take off the Steri-Strips covering your donor site incision. Leave them on until your follow-up appointment.

□ You will have a bandage over your donor site incision. Remove the bandage the day after surgery.

□ Keep your donor site incision covered with a bandage or gauze for ________ days after surgery. Replace the covering with a new bandage or gauze daily.

□ Apply antibiotic ointment to your donor site incision 2 times a day for 1 week.


What about drinking and eating?

If you have an upset stomach, nausea or vomiting, you may not feel like eating.

  • Start by drinking small sips of fluids, such as clear carbonated beverages, tea or soup. Drink fluids often.
  • Gradually add bland foods to your diet, such as dry toast or crackers.
  • Start with light meals. Resume your regular diet as you feel able.
  • Talk to your surgeon if your nausea doesn’t improve. Your surgeon may prescribe medicine to help decrease nausea.

To prevent constipation from pain medicine:

  • Eat fiber (fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain cereals and breads).
  • Drink plenty of fluids.

What about bathing?

If you have a bandage over your incisions, don’t shower until your surgeon tells you to remove your bandages.

If you didn’t receive a skin graft
After your bandages are removed, you may gently wash your incisions every day with mild soap and water. Pat dry.

If you received a skin graft
When you are able to shower, turn your back to the water so your nipple bolsters don’t get wet.


What about activity?

For 1 week after surgery

  • Don’t lift anything heavier than 20 pounds (9 kilograms).
  • Don’t use your arms for strenuous activities, such as jogging, biking, swimming, weight lifting, vacuuming, shoveling, lawn mowing, gardening or sexual activity.
  • Walking is good.

Returning to work
You may return to work the day after surgery.


What are my restrictions?

  • Don’t apply lotions, creams, oils or other skin products near your incisions until they are completely healed—usually 2 to 3 weeks.
  • Sleep on your back or side for 1 week after surgery.
  • Avoid traveling out of the area for 1 week after surgery.
  • While taking prescription pain medicine:
    • Don’t drive.
    • Don’t drink alcohol.
    • Don’t make any major decisions. Major decisions include activities such as signing important papers or managing legal issues.

When do I call my surgeon?

Call your surgeon’s office if you have:

  • A fever of 101°F (38°C) or higher.
  • Severe pain that doesn’t get better with pain medicine.
  • Increased redness, heat (feels warm to the touch), swelling, or cloudy drainage (pus) around or from your incisions.

Phone number

Park Nicollet Plastic Surgery
Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
952-993-3504

If you call after office hours or on Saturday or Sunday, you will be transferred to the Methodist Hospital operator. Tell the operator you are a patient and ask to speak to the on-call plastic surgeon. A surgeon will call you back.



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