Underarms different after surgery?

Guenhwyvar

I've been searching online and can't find any info anywhere, so maybe it's just me. Since my surgery, my armpits seem stretched and I have to shave a much longer area than before. Has anyone else noticed that their armpits are different? I hate the way they look now.

OCDAmy

Oh I hate my armpit! I had an ALND and I have this big dent between expander and pit with a ridge in between. The PS thinks it may be scar tissue and says she can fix it when I have exchange surgery. I hope so!

beach2beach

The scars under the armpit I notice more. Kind of sinks in.

dtad

Hi everyone...yes, my underarms are very different than they were before surgery !

gb2115

mine was sunken for awhile after surgery, but that eventually went away

grandma3X

I no longer have to shave my armpits and rarely use deodorant anymore (no hair and no odor). It could be because I’m on an AI, but in any case, I count this as a plus .

Justme111

hello

I just joined tonight. Very interesting and helpful website. I am having both breasts removed next week, a recurrence in the left breast after 20 years and I decided just to have them both removed. I’m fine with that. But I read something about be sure to have the surgeon remove the arm flaps. Can anyone help me with that? I did not know to do that. Thank you

Spookiesmom

My ROs nurse said I wouldn’t sweat on the ca side cuz of nodes removed. And I don’t sweat on the non ca side either, I had BMX. There is about 3 hairs on right. None of my hair came back normally after chemo.

coraleliz

My armpits are deep caves following my BMX. Difficult to shave. I have to pull the skin to the side. My BS tells be it's because the mammary tail previously filled in this area. The lower 35% of my armpit no longer grows hair due to RADs. My pits have definitely returned to their smelly, if untreated, state.

Peregrinelady

Justmee111, the arm flaps are sometimes called dog ears and can be extra skin left over from surgery. Whether or not you want reconstruction, you need to ask your breast surgeon about what to expect cosmetically. There are many threads on mastectomy and reconstruction that you might want to check out.