Wound care/protection post-surgery

fantasticream

Hi everyone,

This is my first post so a little introduction: After a routine mammogram I was diagnosed with DCIS high grade, 6mm in right breast which was removed two weeks ago. I was offered and opted for a therapeutic mammaplasty through the public healthcare systerm; and I had a matching breast reduction in the left breast at the same time (I'm only 160cm tall and my large breasts have caused me a great deal of shoulder/back pain so I jumped at the opportunity to have them reduced - silver lining). I'm a candidate for DCISionRT with my consulting appointment this Thursday, which will help decide whether I undergo radiation therapy.

Tomorrow I will remove the hypertape from the wounds and was wondering if I should use a moisturiser on the wound so early? I currently use CeraVe Smoothing Cream on my skin (recommended by a dermatologist as I have very dry skin). It's a small thing, but I'm wondering if other women experienced irritation from the bra in those first days/weeks when the hypertape is removed and the scars are exposed; and if so, how you dealt with it.

Thanks so much. I love that this forum exists x

Tri

Hi @fantasticream I hope you’re continuing to recover strongly - I didn’t use moisturising creams on the “wound site” after my lumpectomy. 

My nurse put another surgical plaster over the site when the tape was removed and I left that on for another few days. I would place a clean tissue after showering between the scar and the bra. I only had two bras - which I swapped over for washing - my surgeon asked me to wear them 24/7 for up to 4 weeks. 

I don’t recall the external skin being dry at the time after surgery but I did go onto have 15 doses of radiation therapy about 4 weeks later, where moisturiser was a big focus. 

Sending you lots of positive thoughts and vibes for your recovery 🌸

Julez1958

Hi @fantasticream
I didn’t put moisturiser on my wounds that early on.
Can you  contact  your medical team in the am to ask?
Do you have a breast care nurse?
Otherwise the plastic surgeon registrar on call at the hospital or their assistant/nurse, if you can’t get in touch with the plastic surgeon’s nurse or don’t have a breast care nurse.
Also I went from an E cup to a C cup ( double  mastectomy then later on reconstruction)  so  was able to just wear some new tight fitting singlets  in the weeks after surgery - then I got a couple of soft non underwire bras - previously I had always worn underwire ones.
I got the first lot from K Mart and now wear Playtex soft slightly padded bra .
Take care🌺

fantasticream

Hi @Tri

A tissue is a great idea, thanks! Yes, I have a couple of post surgery bras that I change each day too. I think I was anxious about the bra irritating the wound site but the tissue has done the trick. Much appreciate the suggestion and the positive vibes

fantasticream

Hi @Julez1958,
Thanks for the reply, good suggestion to contact my breast care nurse, I do have one  but I couldn’t contact her yesterday so I thought I’d check in with the collective wisdom here. I shall try again today.

As you say, it definitely makes sense to  not to put anything on the wounds this early on. I’ll try a tissue between the skin and bra for a few days then see if the wound will tolerate the bra on its own. I went from an E to a C too (reduction) and am wearing the soft Kmart post surgery bras 24/7 for at least 6 weeks. I’m sure it will be fine .. it may be that this early on everything little thing is causing me to  worry. So I really appreciate your reply - it has definitely helped!

Yeah, no more underwire bras for me, which I’m grateful for

Caithness

I had a bi lateral mastectomy on 3rd December 2024 in the public system in WA. I think I started touching my wounds with a little compounding cream from my pharmacist, around two weeks after surgery. Then I started massaging once a day, then more regularly after that. I have also had a total axillary node clearance under the same arm where the breast cancer was - three weeks after the mastectomy. This means I need to massage both wound sites 3-4 times a day. 

I have not found creams or sorbolene that useful for massaging, as they go straight in to the skin. They are useful to stop the scar getting dry and help keep the skin supple.

For massaging, I use "carrier oil" from Natio, which is made of rosehip oil. The physio said recently (I see her every 2 weeks because I have a lyphoedema risk), that my scars were quite "tight", so I also have exercises to loosen both the bi-lateral scar and the "cording" that has formed inside the armpit. I also massage the area where it feels like fluid could build up, above the scar.

Yes, I found wearing a bra quite difficult because it rubbed on my skin. Someone suggested I wear a bamboo singlet underneath the bra to stop the rubbing, but I couldn't be bothered with that.

I have to wear a bra to hold my prosthetics. I really wanted to go flat but am not liking the look yet. I am going to invest in a really soft surgery bra when I get the chance. I am now almost 3 months post surgery and my scars are only just starting to heal.

I hope this helps.

arpie

Hi @fantasticream & @Caithness...

Wearing the soft bra 24/7 really helps ... 

Before using any creams on your wound (other than anything that THEY suggest) - put it past your surgeon first. They have first hand knowledge of how different women heal - as everyone heals at different rates, with different amounts of scarring. Plus - There is a huge difference between 'moisturising cream', 'antiseptic/antibiotic creams', 'silicone gels' & the like.  Some may cause a setback.

My surgeon put me onto a gel called 'Kelocote' that I then used on my own wound once it had healed to a degree where there was no 'open cut' - about 2-3 weeks after surgery and after the stitches were out.  It helped facilitate healing and also reduced the scarring - to such a degree that my Onc needs to check her notes to see which boob had the surgery!  Only a tiny bit was needed on each application, and it was just on the 'wound' ... no point wasting it on ordinary flesh that has not had surgery.  Ask your surgeon about it.  

take care

fantasticream

Hi @Caithness and @arpie

Thank you both, your comments have helped. My breast care nurse advised me not to put anything on the site wound for 6 weeks but has then left it up to me to decide .. I’ll look into the Kelocote gel and also speak to my physio. When the wound has healed I’m also going to see a massage therapist trained in scar massage, so she may be able to suggest something too.

Thanks again for sharing your experiences, all of this information is really useful