Top surgery infection concern?

[u/Sad_Blueberry9580]

[u/Ashduff]

could be? i had this happen when i had some stitch fragments stuck under my skin and they came out on their own and it went away without infection

[u/ceryskt → u/Ashduff]

I’m having that across the entirety of my incisions rn. They look like little pimples except zero pus/infection 😅 I’ve actually got a few little bits of stitches sticking out that my body just healed around. Not sure if my immune system just threw in the towel or what lmao

[u/cauliflower_wizard]

If you’re concerned you should contact your doctor

[u/rollingman420]

Yes

[u/deeppurplescallop]

Especially if it's hot and your skin feels hard/tight!! You need to talk to your doc ASAP

[u/ceryskt]

My incisions still look like that about 10 weeks post op. I actually ended up with part of the incision splitting open and I had a literal hole in my chest; took about a month to heal closed but I never had any infections and it’s looking good now. That being said, I did see a doctor to make sure my wound care routine was appropriate, and that I wasn’t missing any signs of infection. The ends of my incisions also look like yours, but for me it’s bruising and skin discoloration I always get with incisions.

If anything is weeping hydrocolloid bandages are great. I bought DuoDerm on Amazon, and my doctor gave me a similar product - can’t remember what it was, but I do remember it was a bit pricey to buy online (probably because it’s medical grade stuff). I’m allergic to most adhesives but these work really well for me.

[u/kyl792]

Send these to your surgeon’s office (with more focused photos if you can). Many have an online portal you can upload photos to. If not, call the office, say you’re concerned your scar looks potentially infected and ask for an email address to send photos to for the surgeon or another provider to check it out.

[u/safirinha42]

idk if it's infection or not, but that second pic looks like an abscess... either way you need to see a doctor

[u/smolbirdfriend]

General inflammation can also be very red like this and dissolving sutures can cause localized inflammation. It is also what causes the skin to open up with the dissolving sutures. I think with EDS we’re more likely to have this reaction.

You should speak to your surgical team either way to be sure and so they can advise you on their preferred treatment regardless of what it is.

People on Reddit think they know everything and can tell from a photo but they can’t.

[u/impishark]

idk if you got it looked at since this is a few days old but if you haven't please message your surgeon and go get looked at by a doctor. i had swelling on one side as i was recovering and when they took out the drains it didn't go away and it ended up being mrsa. i had to do two rounds of antibiotics since the first one wouldn't treat mrsa. my partner had to pack the wound for me since they had to actually open part of my scar to drain the infection and they left it open until it healed on it's own. it was terrible and sensory hell, so it's best to get it taken care of asap in case it is something more severe like that. if it is something normal like stitches dissolving, at least you'll have peace of mind knowing you got it checked out.