Activity For the next week, you should avoid the use of caffeine and nicotine as well as exposure to very cold temperatures. You may not smoke or be around other people who are smoking. You should not drink caffeinated coffee, cola or tea or eat chocolate. Decaffeinated coffee and colas are fine. For the next 2 weeks, do not allow the incision to become wet. A sponge bath or tub bath is fine as long as the incision remains dry. For the rest of today, you should stay at home and rest. Over the next 3-4 days, you may gradually resume your usual activities as tolerated. Wear loose-fitting clothes to accommodate the dressing. The dressing will be changed by the surgeon in 3-5 days.

Surgical Site

Some drainage, bruising and swelling is to be expected. You may change the dressing once a day. If your surgeon used a nipple protector, it should remain in place until he or she removes it.

Pain

You should experience minimal pain. If you do experience some discomfort, you can take acetaminophen (Tylenol). Follow the directions on the label.

Later

After healing is complete (usually 4-6 weeks), the nipple may be treated like a natural nipple during sexual activity. While you may have regained some sensation in the breast area, erotic sensation almost never returns to the reconstructed nipple/areola. You can consider having the areola tattooed after the reconstructed nipple has healed. Please discuss this with your surgeon.

Follow-up visit

You will need to return to the clinic

on ______________

at ______________

Reaching your surgeon

You can reach your surgeon by calling the Plastic Surgery Clinic during duty hours at (202) 782-6560; after duty hours, call the WRAMC emergency room at (202) 782-1199. If you feel the problem requires urgent attention (such as severe bleeding), call for an ambulance to take you to the nearest emergency room. Notify your surgeon if you: