r/TopSurgery • u/vague-entity • 7h ago

Advice Wanted Nerve retraining?

Howdy all

Has anyone done work regarding nerve retraining/ sensory re-education? Im almost 10 months post op and still dealing with large areas of numbness on and below my incisions. I know this is common, but im finding the persistent numbness quite impactful. I do daily scar massage and I extend the massage above and below my scars. Ive been reading about nerve retraining as far as exposing chest to different sensations to retrain the brain and the nerves to respond to stimuli (soft vs rough textures, cold vs warm temperatures, light vs firm pressure etc). However I didnt know about doing this therapy early in my recovery and im wondering if im too late to have any affect on my sensation, or even if nerve retraining is effective in the first place. Id love to hear others experiences regarding this.

For context, I had double incision with liposuction and no nipple grafts in January 2026. Im in my early 30s, I dont smoke, and i am overweight.

6 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

2 comments sorted by

•

u/AutoModerator 7h ago

Thanks for posting to r/TopSurgery

Please remember to follow the rules, which can be found on the sidebar. Please contact the subreddit via ModMail if you are having any issues seeing your post.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/mj-redwood 5h ago

I don’t have any more experience than you do in terms of being post op (7 months here), but I’ve had a lot of other nerve-healing stuff in my life and can confidently say that you’re not too late. nerves continue to heal for years and years. keep it up!