An infection can appear with any surgery. In general, infections usually become evident during the next few days to a few weeks after the surgery. Nevertheless, infection can occur it is possible for them to happen at any time after surgery. Characteristically, symptoms include the following:
 fever;
swelling;
tenderness;
inflammation.
Gratefully, a good number of infections can be cured with the help of antibiotics. On the other hand, if the infection does not react to the antibiotics, the breast implants may have to be taken away, until the infection has totally expelled. The time border on re-implantation can vary from a few weeks to several months, depending upon the severity of the infection.
If you have a fever of 101 or higher, check with your surgeon straight away. There have been cases of infection during which there was no fever. If you have one or more of the symptoms listed above, with or without fever, please contact your physician.
In very extraordinary cases, severe infections can lead to Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS).
Infections, particularly serious infections, are not very common after breast augmentation surgery.
Tips for Infection Prevention
 Do not soak in the bathtub or hot tub until your incisions are totally closed. It is much better to wait for two weeks before taking such bathes.
Do not go swimming. You probably won’t want to anyway, especially if you have your breast implants placed under the muscle. Wait for two weeks and then go swimming.
Try not to touch your incision. Bacteria from your hands could get in the incision, and possibly cause an infection.
If your surgeon recommends you to apply any type of ointment to your incision, use a Q-Tip to do so. These should not be used until the incision is totally closed.
Lots of women make complaints against their breasts itching after surgery. This usually occurs because of the skin stretching. You can relieve the itchiness by using a lotion or moisturizer. Nevertheless, use caution when applying lotion around the incisions, if you don’t want to get lotion in an open incision.
If you got the transax (armpit) incision, avoid using deodorant on your incision until it has totally closed.
Always consult your plastic surgeon and follow his advice precisely. Don’t use the tips above as medical advice; they are generalizations and should be used as a point of reference only.
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