Secondary breast augmentation procedures are common. A secondary breast augmentation procedure commonly occurs when patients have had there breast implants in place for greater than 10 years. Both saline and silicone gel implants are surrounded by a silicone elastomer shell. Over time, with repeated folding, the shell can break. If a patient has saline implants, a break in the shell…
Breast reconstruction is a common procedure in the United States and more specifically in Newport Beach, California. Often patients may have undergone a bilateral mastectomy with implant reconstruction. At the time of the mastectomy, the nipple areola complex may have been removed and the breast reconstructed with tissue expanders and then subsequently the placement of bilateral mammary prosthesis. When the…
Tissue expander and implant reconstruction can be accomplished at a later stage following mastectomy surgery. When the mastectomy reconstruction is performed at a later time, the term used is a “delayed reconstruction”. During a delayed reconstruction, the mastectomy defect is re-created and often a tissue expander is placed beneath the skin and or pectoralis major muscle. The skin is then…
DIEP flaps are excellent options for breast reconstruction in patients who have undergone radiation therapy. Often the skin above the tumor needs to be resected during a mastectomy and an oncoplastic mastectomy is completed to facilitate clearing an anterior margin. When tissue expanders are placed and then radiated, the tissue expander can be affected by capsular contracture forces around the…
