People with allergic conditions—including eczema, asthma, and hay fever—may face more problems after certain types of surgery, according to two new studies presented at the 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Orlando, FL.
Why? The inflammation and immune system changes that come with these conditions can make it harder for the body to heal and may increase the risk of infection after surgery, the study authors suggest.
In one study, researchers looked at more than 20,000 women who had breast reconstruction after cancer surgery. Those with eczema, dermatitis, or other allergic skin conditions were more likely to have complications with their breast implants—including infections, scar tissue buildup (called capsular contracture), and implant rupture—than women without these conditions.
Over the three years following surgery, patients with atopic skin disease were also more likely to need implant removal or additional surgeries to fix problems, the study showed.
“People with eczema or similar skin conditions already have more sensitive skin and a higher level of inflammation,” says Philong Nguyen, BS, lead author of the study and a Medical Student at University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB)John Sealy School of Medicine in Galveston, TX, in a news release. “That seems to make surgical healing more difficult and increases the chance of infection.”
In a second study by some of the same investigators, the researchers looked at more than 38,000 adults who had bone graft surgery. Those with allergic conditions such as eczema, asthma, or hay fever had higher rates of infection, bone inflammation (called osteomyelitis), and the need for additional surgery to remove or replace implants.
“Even two years after their initial surgery, people with atopic conditions were still more likely to have problems like infection or implant loosening,” says UTMB’s Joshua Wang, MS, lead author of this study. “These results suggest that allergic conditions can affect the body’s ability to heal after surgery—not just in the skin, but in the bones as well.”
