Bilateral mastectomy is a common procedure to treat breast cancer. Occasionally, if a patient has breast cancer in one breast, they may opt to undergo a prophylactic mastectomy on the other breast. In a patient who has breast ptosis or a droopy breast, it may be difficult to try to spare the nipple areola complex. In patient with ptotic breasts,…
Breast cancer can be successfully treated with lumpectomy and oncoplastic reconstruction. Lumpectomy is often accompanied with radiation therapy that begins six weeks after surgery. Radiation is tolerated differently in patients who have undergone mastectomy and those who have undergone lumpectomy. The lumpectomy skin has much better blood supply than the mastectomy blood supply. The photograph demonstrates before and after right…
Breast caner can be successfully treated with lumpectomy, radiation, and oncoplastic reconstruction. When genetic testing such as BRCA-1 is negative and when tumors are “smaller” relative to the size of the breast, breast cancer and the reconstruction can be accomplished with lumpectomy and radiation. In lumpectomy and oncoplastic reconstruction, the skin over the tumor is often removed to clear the…
It is important for patients with breast cancer to be patient when tissue expanders are in place. Tissue expanders are temporary and will be exchanged when implants are placed. Tissue expanders have a firmer silicone elastomer shell and are filled with saline during the expansion process. Tissue expanders help fill the dead space after a mastectomy and can help control…
Breast cancer can be treated with mastectomy. Often when a woman has breast cancer, she would like to proceed with a bilateral mastectomy, which is the removal of both breasts. Bilateral mastectomy can be done if cancer is in both breasts, or, if the patient would like to remove the other breast prophylactically. In a patient with ptotic breast, it…
There are many ways to reconstruct the breast following mastectomy. One way to reconstruct the breast which lasts the lifetime of the patient is the deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flap. In DIEP flap breast reconstruction, the skin and fat from the abdomen is harvested along with the deep inferior epigastric artery and vein and transferred to the chest…
One of the most common questions that we receive from patients in consultation, is “Can I have my breast reconstructed after a lumpectomy and radiation therapy?”. The answer to this question is “yes”. However, the degree to which breast tissue can be rearranged might be limited, but there are definitely options. Radiation tends to cause capsular contracture when an implant…
Breast reconstruction is an extremely challenging aspect of plastic and reconstructive surgery. Not only does the cancer need to be appropriately addressed, but implants are also placed in less than optimal environments. During a mastectomy, the breast tissue is removed and the only soft tissue that remains is a skin envelope. Tissue expanders and implants are placed beneath the pectoralis…
There are many different ways to successfully treat or prevent breast cancer in genetically susceptible individuals. In some patients, one of the first steps is to create the best possible shape of the breast for a future mastectomy. In some patients, implants are removed and a mastopexy is performed to place the nipple areola complex in a higher and more…
Breast reconstruction can be done in an immediate setting at the time of mastectomy or can be accomplished in a delayed setting after mastectomy. When an immediate breast reconstruction with flaps is to be performed it is important that the quality of the mastectomy flaps is considered. During the DIEP flap harvest, the skin and fat from the abdomen is…
