Patient - Breast Reconstruction

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Before

This relatively young woman was diagnosed with cancer in her left breast. She elected to have both breasts removed and reconstructed. This is a choice being made by more and more women who, once they have been diagnosed with cancer in one breast, do not want to have to deal with this in the future on the opposite side.  She had her mastectomies and I placed tissue expanders at the same time. She expanded beautifully and went on to have her expanders replaced with gel breast implants. The finishing touch was nipple/areola reconstruction using a flap from the breast and skin graft from her inner, upper thighs. All went well and she appeared to have an exceptional result. More than three months after he final surgery, she came in with an infected left breast and had to have that implant removed. I waited nearly nine months for all of the inflammation and scarring from her infection to subside before placing a new tissue expander for another try at reconstruction. I was concerned that the scar would be a problem, but she expanded beautifully and I put in a new implant on the left just over one year after the infected one was removed. She has done very well and the result was only minimally compromised by the unusually late infection. 

After

Her reconstructed breasts are a bit more rounded than I would like and there is a slight asymmetry in that the left breast implant sits slightly higher, but both breasts are nice and soft and she looks wonderful in clothes and can wear anything she wishes. Giving all that can wrong in such lengthy, multi-stage surgeries, I am delighted with her result, just sorry it took a coupld of extra operations to get her here. I am keeping my fingers crossed that she will have no further problems! Her implants are 605 cc Allergan Natrelle Style SSF "Soft Touch" smooth, round gel implants.