BREAST RECONSTRUCTION AFTER MASTECTOMY

Before & After Gallery

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CASE #1

This 34 year old woman who had a left modified radical mastectomy is shown nine months following reconstruction with a breast implant and a breast augmentation on the right side. The nipple and areola were reconstructed with local tissues and a skate flap.

CASE #2

This is a 62 year old woman status post left radical mastectomy who underwent breast reconstruction with autologous tissues using a TRAM flap. The areolae were reconstructed with grafts from other parts of the body. Her postoperative result is seen two years after the surgery.

CASE #3

This is a 58 year old woman who had bilateral modified radical mastectomies and is seen following a reconstruction with TRAM flaps from the abdomen. The areola was reconstructed with skin grafts from the upper inner thigh and the nipple was reconstructed with a skate flap. Her postoperative result is seen at nine months.

CASE #4

This is a 47 year old woman who had a right modified radical mastectomy. Her reconstruction was performed by insertion of an implant on the right side and she had a reduction mammaplasty on the left side to achieve symmetry. The nipple and areola were constructed with grafts of tissue from her body, and her postoperative result is seen at nine months.

CASE #5

This is a 62 year old woman who had a modified radical mastectomy and has a breast implant on the contralateral side. She underwent breast reconstruction with a silicone implant and the nipple and areola were reconstructed with tissues from her remaining left nipple and areola.

CASE #6

This 56 year old woman had a breast reconstruction on the left side in Mexico City. The patient developed an infection with exposure of her implant. Her reconstruction was performed by removing the implant and inserting a soft tissue expander. Later, a permanent implant was inserted and a breast uplift was performed on the right side to achieve symmetry. The left nipple and areola were reconstructed with local tissues. Her result is seen six months following nipple reconstruction.

Breast Reconstruction Surgery after Mastectomy – Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in American women and about 140,000 women are diagnosed each year with breast cancer in the United States. Many patients can be treated with breast conservation therapy which consists of a lumpectomy (removal of the cancerous tumor) and radiation therapy. In these cases, the breast is usually not significantly deformed and most of the time corrective plastic surgery is not required. Some patients, however, are better served by mastectomy. In patients who undergo mastectomy, there are a number of options available for breast reconstruction.

Dr. Neal Handel performs Breast Reconstruction Surgery at his Beverly Hills plastic surgery clinic.

In many cases, breast reconstruction can be accomplished by the use of a silicone breast implant. Sometimes, it is necessary to stretch out the soft tissues with a “tissue expander” prior to inserting the final breast implant. There are new breast implants (form stable shaped anatomical implants) that give much better results than with earlier generation devices. Breast reconstruction surgery is often performed “immediately” at the time of mastectomy. However, in patients who have not availed themselves of immediate reconstruction, delayed reconstruction can be performed months or even years after mastectomy. It is also possible to reconstruct the nipple and areola to give the final breast a very natural appearance.

Another way breast reconstruction can be performed does not rely on the use of breast implants and is called “autologous” reconstruction. When patients undergo autologous reconstruction, their own living tissues are used to reconstruct the breast. This is usually done by transferring tissue from the lower abdomen to the breast area and then shaping and molding it into the proper configuration. The reconstruction of the breast with autologous tissues is usually a more lengthy and complex surgical procedure and typically requires hospitalization. The results of autologous reconstruction, however, are generally excellent and very long lasting. One of the advantages of autologous reconstruction is that as the patient ages and gains or loses weight, the reconstruction changes in volume just like the opposite side.