Minimally Painful Breast Tumor Surgery
Generally, breast tumor surgery can be performed using local anesthesia to temporarily numb the area. With good technique, breast tumor surgery causes very little pain and does not require stitch removal because dissolvable sutures are used and the stitches are hidden.
Breast Tumor Surgery with Local Anesthesia
Normally, once the anesthesia takes effect, the patient will not feel pain during the surgery. However, some patients may experience significant breast pain during the procedure, which may be due to improper anesthesia injection or insufficient anesthesia dosage. This can be prevented by
- Injecting a sufficient amount of anesthesia to cover the entire surgical area, especially areas where sensory nerves pass through, while carefully monitoring the dosage to not exceed safe levels based on the patient’s body weight.
- The most important factor is that the surgeon must have good injection technique and not rush the surgery before the anesthesia takes effect.
- If the tumor is very large, general anesthesia may be chosen instead.
After surgery, whether under local or general anesthesia, patients usually feel slight tightness around the wound or may have no symptoms at all. They can use their arm normally but should avoid heavy exercise and be careful to prevent any severe impact for at least 24 hours or more.
Will Breast Tumor Surgery Cause Indented Scars, Contracture, or Breast Deformity?
After surgery for a typical breast tumor, there is usually no indented scar or contracture deformity. The breast will maintain its beautiful shape without the need for additional surgical procedures, except in cases of very large tumors, wide excision of milk ducts, or removal of breast cancer tumors, where reconstructive surgery may be necessary to move breast tissue from other areas to fill the gap and prevent contracture deformity.
Characteristics of a Good Wound after Breast Tumor Surgery
Many people worry about the appearance of scars after breast tumor surgery. Good surgery can reduce this concern because “a beautiful scar is a thin, blended line that is not clearly visible,” which results from the following factors:
- The surgeon has good, meticulous technique and does not excessively damage tissue.
- Using small sutures and hidden stitches to avoid track marks on the skin.
- Preventing infection and inflammation, which cause increased scarring.
- Choosing the surgical incision location in a discreet area, such as the edge of the areola, to avoid prominent scars.
However, some patients may still develop raised scars due to genetic factors, which can be observed if the person has had raised scars elsewhere on their body. If concerned about this, patients should consult their doctor and understand the potential risk of scarring.
