Anyone else have a divot after port removed?

Posted by ntmarutz @ntmarutz, Feb 2, 2023

Has anyone else found they were left with a deep divot after their port was removed? I attached a photo. My surgeon retired to stay home with her kids just a week after my port was removed 7/1/22 so I haven’t been able to talk to her about it.
I find it more distressing than my lymph removal scar or my lumpectomy (left side 12:00 position).

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I had my port removed about a week ago. I was warned by the Surgeon that because I'm on a slimmer side, there might be a deep there, but it will fill in over time. Not sure if that's true, but that's what I was told.

I didn't notice a deep, but it feels like my breast fell lower after the removal, besides the bad stitching job and the nasty scar I'm probably going to have after.

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Yep…I have the exact same divot. It’s actually quite common although I’ve only ran into one other person that had the same issue.

My breast surgeon indicated that it may have been caused by pressure from the port (I’m also very thin up top and a side sleeper) pushing against the surrounding fat, causing it to die or what they call fat necrosis.

I then had a consult with a plastic surgeon who stated that she could perform liposuction and take fat from another area of my body (or two areas to leave symmetry) and inject the fat from that area into the divot but there’s no guarantee of success.

She then indicated that transferring fat is a very delicate procedure as the fat could die while in transfer.

It’s also hard to determine how much fat to graft that would be enough to fill the divot without absorbing into the skin or dying off.

I would have to wear a compression garment at the place the fat was taken and wouldn’t be able to freely move my chest and shoulders for 3-6 weeks to give the fat a chance to settle and graft successfully.

She then took photos and submitted to my insurance company who did approve this surgery (it would have several thousands of dollars) but I chose to forgo the surgery.

I have to say that over three years later, it’s looking better and I now hardly notice it.

I agree with you in that it’s funny but the divot was more noticeable than my lumpectomy and lymph node scars which I can now hardly see.

Hope this helps. ♥️

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Having had my port removed 2 weeks ago all I can say is that all this stuff very much depends on the skill of the surgeon. I had had it in for almost 4 years (my choice, was taking Zometa and didn't want it in the arm) -- the same surgeon that "sewed it in" removed it. So I anticipated a nightmare, but all is well. I also had another surgeon lined up just in case the one who put it in wasn't available to take it out. So I would suggest getting a second opinion with any problems post port removal: appearance of the site or otherwise

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I have the opposite problem of where my port was. There is tremendous amount of scar tissue ( same location as my 1st port - 3 years ago) I go to a lymphedema specialist for my breast lymphedema and cupping for the area where my port was and it hurts.

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@ntmarutz I am sorry this is distressing for you. I had a pretty big divot, but never gave it a lot of thought since they removed half of my moderately sized breast on the other side. This divot did fill in naturally, although slowly.
I had it removed in the office, no real surgery, my patience was wearing thin as it had moved some distance and was almost under my arm.
I really don’t even think about it much, I had to look to see if I still had any divot😂. I pray that in time you will lose track of yours too, isn’t that really a full restoration. We never checked our breasts for divots and deformities, before breast cancer.
Have you considered talking to another surgeon about this?

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Like others, my divot has filled in and my scar has faded. It’s been three years. I am blessed with good skin and my body type is average-5’3” and 120 pounds.

Best wishes to you!

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