Helpful tips

Who is a candidate for immediate breast reconstruction?

Who is a candidate for immediate breast reconstruction?

Cancer stage: In general, women diagnosed with stage I or some stage II breast cancers who choose mastectomy based on a biopsy are less likely to need radiation or other treatments after mastectomy and are often good candidates for immediate reconstruction.

How long do breast implants last after reconstruction?

One can expect your implant to last approximately 10 to 15 years. Since a woman may not always feel or see when a rupture in her implants has occurred, magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) may be needed every few years to monitor for any sign of trouble.

What is Second Stage Breast Reconstruction?

In the second stage: The surgeon removes the tissue expander from your chest and replaces it with a breast implant. This surgery takes 1 to 2 hours. Before this surgery, you will have talked with your surgeon about the different kinds of breast implants.

How long until you can drive after a mastectomy?

When you can start driving again typically depends on how you feel during recovery. For some people, this may be about 10 days after surgery. For others, it may be longer. You should be off narcotic pain medication before driving again.

Can I swim with tissue expanders?

What should my activity level be? You cannot perform house hold chores or heavy lifting greater than 5 to 10 pounds for 6 weeks post-operatively. No hot tubs, swimming in lakes while the tissue expander is in place.

Do you lose weight after Diep Flap?

If you lose weight after DIEP surgery, your reconstructed breasts will likely decrease in size as well. This change may be minimally noticeable or drastic, depending on how your body reacts to weight loss.

What is revision of reconstructed breast?

The goal of corrective (or “revision”) surgery is to fix problems that occurred during or after breast reconstruction surgery that impact your quality of life or your health.

Are there benefits to single stage breast reconstruction?

Background: Single-stage direct-to-implant (DTI) breast reconstruction can offer several potential benefits. Subpectoral DTI reconstruction can present with animation deformity and pectoralis muscle spasm.

What’s the average implant size for breast reconstruction?

Average implant size was 410 cc (330-465 cc) and 425 cc (315-534 cc) in the prepectoral and subpectoral groups, respectively. Alloderm was used in all reconstructions. Total numbers of complications were 4 (7.2%) and 8 (11.6%) in the prepectoral and subpectoral groups, respectively (P = 0.227).

How many women have undergone subpectoral breast reconstruction?

Results: Thirty-three patients (55 breasts) underwent prepectoral DTI, and 42 patients (69 breasts) underwent subpectoral DTI. Demographics were similar among groups. The number of breasts with preoperative ptosis lower than grade 2 was not significantly different between groups (29.1% vs 26.1%; P = 0.699).

Which is better, direct to implant or prepectoral?

Single-Stage Direct-to-Implant Breast Reconstruction: A Comparison Between Subpectoral Versus Prepectoral Implant Placement Based on these results, we believe prepectoral DTI is safe, reliable, and a promising reconstructive option for selected patients, with equivalent results to other reconstructive options.