Breast reconstruction following mastectomy is very common. Breast reconstruction often has a better result when the nipple areola complex is preserved. In patients who do not have a ptotic breast, the mastectomy can often be performed from an infra-mammary incision. At the time of the mastectomy, a tissue expander is placed. After the skin has healed the expander is removed…
Breast reconstruction following mastectomy is a common procedure. When the breast is ptotic, I often find that patient will do better when the resulting skin pattern is in the form of a Wise pattern. The Wise pattern allows the removal of ptotic skin and creates a skin envelope for an aesthetically pleasing breast. Tissue expander placement beneath the muscle entirely…
Following mastectomy, breast reconstruction can be performed with tissue expanders and implants or with autologous tissue. Typically patients who do not need radiation can be reconstructed with either option. In the ptotic breast, the Wise skin pattern or inverted-T pattern allows the breast to have a less ptotic or more youthful appearance. I find that when using a Wise pattern…
DIEP flaps are commonly used to reconstruct the breast following mastectomy in the setting of radiation. After a mastectomy and radiation, the skin that has been radiated, will not expand appropriately to accept an implant. Often the tissue has been damaged from the radiation and needs to be excised to appropriately reconstruct the breast. Autologous tissue reconstruction is the reconstruction…
Radiation therapy is often a necessary tool in the treatment of breast cancer. When breast reconstructions have been radiated, a patient’s skin and soft tissues can react in many different ways. The breast implant beneath the radiated tissue can undergo capsular contracture and occasionally the skin can undergo degenerative changes that can lead to wound breakdown and possible implant exposure.…
