Most people complain of some numbness around their incisions especially in the leg incisions around the ankle. This comes from disturbing the nerves. In the chest, you can often have numbness where the internal mammary artery is used for heart surgery, which would usually be in the left side of your chest and breast area. This numbness becomes insignificant after a while and you will not notice it.

The length of the incision depends on the amount of loose skin and fat present as well as the condition of the abdominal musculature.

The site for your incision will be determined either during your consultation or on your pre-operative day. The procedure can be performed through a small incision underneath the armpit (the axillary approach), around the nipple (the peri-areola approach), under the breast (the inframammary approach) or next to the belly button (the TUBA or transumbilical approach).

If the numbness comes and goes and is not the same in both legs, then it is most undoubtedly FM. If it is steady, unchanging day and night, and is the same on both legs, such as up to the knees, then it needs to be evaluated promptly. Vitamin E 800 mg at bedtime is supposed to help with leg cramps and restless legs. Some people report a lessening of leg cramps with the addition of magnesium supplements to their diets as well.

Any time an incision is made in the skin, a scar is produced. With careful attention to the technique of closing the incision the scarring can be minimized and be cosmetically acceptable. In the standard posterior spinal fusion, the length of the incision will correlate with the number of vertebrae that need to be fused. In endoscopic procedures, multiple one to two inch incisions will be produced at the point that the camera and instruments are introduced into the body.

If your incision is slow to heal, or is red, feverish (hot), or painful, appears to be opening up, or has pus oozing from it, you need to contact your doctor immediately. These symptoms could very well be a sign of infection.

Itching occurs when the incision starts healing. It's perfectly normal, and nothing to worry about. Applying something warm or cool (not too hot, not too cold) to or around the site can sometimes alleviate the itchy feeling for a while. Though it's not fully understood, many women claim that the change in temperature helps. You may also try scratching "around" the incision. Many times, this helps as well. Do NOT apply anti-itch creams to your incision (i.e. Cortizone, etc.

There are pros and cons. Recovery after laparoscopic surgery is much faster and virtually scar and pain free. Length of hospital stay is reduced to days instead of weeks. Scarring is minimal. In general, laparoscopy virtually eliminates two common postoperative complications: wound infections and hernias. The frequency of bowel obstructions and leaks is increased.

Keep the incision clean and dry. You will be showering in the hospital and instructed to pat the incision dry. Continue this at home while your incision is healing. Avoid wearing undergarments that irritate the incision.

Although the incisions are small, some bleeding or swelling around incision are normal which occurs within the various tissue layers. Eventually these problems will go away completely with negligible scar.

The incision is usually closed with skin glue which, usually, leaves better looking wounds. Deep dissolvable stitches are also used. After the surgery, the wounds should be cleaned with soap and water only (and nothing else). They can be left open to air if there is no drainage. Showers are OK. Avoid the bathtub for a couple of weeks, until the wounds are fully healed. Please remember that sacroiliac dysfunction is a diagnostic of exclusion.

If you have increasing redness, or increasing pain at your incision site, or if you have persistent, thick drainage, please call our office immediately. If you begin running a fever of more than 101?, or if you begin having chills please let us know.

Visibility of scars is a concern for most patients. Several of our staff have had breast augmentation by Dr. Stagnone and can demonstrate their incisions. They are initially pink and over the course of six to twelve weeks the color fades and eventually becomes a pale light color which usually blends in with the adjacent skin. There are three incision sites available. The axilla (armpit), periareolar (lower edge of the nipple) and inframammary (in the breast fold).

It is normal for your incision to look a little swollen and discolored. Notify our office if you have excessive pain in the area, redness with swelling that is increasing, red streaks, bleeding, drainage that appears pus-like in the incision area, or fever above 100 degrees. These are signs of infection and you will need to be evaluated by the doctor.

All of the methods listed above use a needle-size introducer to augment the lips. This is placed on both corners of the red portion of the lips. The scars heal almost invisibly.

The incision is closed with absorbable stitches under the skin to ensure a good cosmetic result. These types of sutures do not have to be removed. The incision is also closed with steri-stips (paper like bandages) and covered with a Tegaderm (a thin sheet of plastic). Keep this clean and dry. Do not remove the dressing, it will be removed during your follow-up visit. If moisture is seen under the dressing after 24 hours, call the office.