Breast reduction surgery is a common surgery that has a high satisfaction rate. There are often several reasons that patients seek breast reduction surgery: 1. Neck or back pain 2. Persistent skin rashes in the crease of the breast 3. Difficulty exercising 4. Trouble sleeping 5. Impaired self-esteem/tough on themselves with regard to body image It is important prior to…
The latissimus myocutaneous flap is an effective flap to help close mastectomy defects or to improve the overall quality of the overlying mastectomy skin. One challenge with mastectomy breast reconstruction is the durability and quality of the mastectomy skin. Skin that has been radiated or skin that is thin is more prone to cellulitis, wound dehiscence, and other complications. When…
There are many reasons that patients can have breast asymmetry. Breast feeding can make one breast grow significantly larger than the other, radiation can make one breast contract, previous infections can shrink the breast volume, and surgery of the breast can affect development if surgery is performed at young age. Previous surgery, infection, and radiation can all cause the nipple…
Breast cancer reconstruction is a challenging component of Plastic & Reconstructive surgery. Breast cancer reconstruction is frequently performed in several stages. The first stage of reconstruction involves placing a tissue expander at the time of mastectomy. I usually prefer to place a minimal amount of volume of saline at the time of mastectomy as this often minimizes pain post-operatively. Minimal…
Breast reconstruction is a challenging aspect of plastic & reconstructive surgery. Often patients require radiation after mastectomy and the radiation can have significant changes on the ski and affect its ability to heal. When wounds are not able to heal often it is best to replace the radiated skin with skin from the back that has not been radiated. The…
The lower blepharoplasty is a common procedure to help improve the appearance of the lower eyelid. Puffiness or fullness in the lower eyelids is often an inherrited trait with many patients saying that their parents had the same puffiness. The transconjunctival lower lid blepharoplasty is an effective way to improve the appearance of the lower eyelid. Most patients report looking…
Patients often treat breast cancer with lumpectomy and radiation. This can be a very successful manner to treat breast cancer. On occasion, these patients can get a recurrence of their breast cancer and require mastectomy for successful treatment. Chemotherapy or previous radiation can make placement of an implant at the time of mastectomy challenging as infection rates may be higher.…
October is breast cancer awareness month. Some patients can undergo successful treatment of their breast cancer with lumpectomy and oncoplastic reconstruction of their lumpectomy defect. The same patterns that are used to lift the breast can be used to reconstruct the lumpectomy defect. When the tumor lies outside of the standard breast lift skin pattern, the skin patten can be…
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer reconstruction can occur in a delayed fashion-meaning at a time remote since the date of mastectomy. When the skin of the breast has been radiated or if it is significantly scared from infection, the breast can often be reconstructed with skin and fat from the abdomen. This operation is called DIEP flap…
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer treatment and reconstruction is extremely challenging. Mastectomy reconstruction can be performed with DIEP flaps. One of the more common questions that patients ask regarding flap reconstruction, is when do you use the skin from the abdomen and when do you use the skin that is already covering the breast. The simple answer…
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The treatment of breast cancer and its reconstruction is extremely challenging. Patients often need chemotherapy and radiation as a part of their therapy. Chemotherapy and radiation can make wound healing challenging When skin has been previously radiated, it makes it very challenging to eradicate infection. In these scenarios we use vascularized skin and subcutaneous…
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer can be treated with lumpectomy or with mastectomy. Breast reconstruction is challenging. When the breast is reconstructed with tissue expanders and implants, there are two options of expander placement. Pre-pectoral (in front of the muscle) and sub pectoral (behind the muscle). Either plane is used today. In some instances, the tissue expander…
