Patient - Breast Reconstruction

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Click on an image below to see a larger version.

Before

This lady in her 80's had her breast tissue removed to prevent breast cancer back in 1979. The is called a subcutaneous mastectomy or a nipple-sparing mastectomy. She was reconstructed with silicone gel implants. These were replaced in 1985-86 with new implants when one of her original implants leaked. They were replaced 15 years ago with a third set of gel implants for reasons that are unclear. She presented to me with hard implants that she described as "rocks". There was a question of a leak in her left implant. She did not want to be without these implants, since she has no breast tissue of her own. 

After

She is shown six months after surgery. I removed her old implants. Both were intact. These were Allegan textured anatomically shaped implants, which have been implicated in a rare cancer- breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Her capsules (scar around the implants) was thickened, stiff, and calcified. I removed them completely. They were check for cancer and none was found. I placed a pair of new Mentor Memory Gel smooth, round, moderate plus profile implants with a volume of 375 cc. Because of her very thin skin, which made the surgery quite challenging, I used a sheet of perserved human skin (FlexHD from MTF Co) to reinforce the skin and, hopefully, help keep the breasts soft. She is now one year, seven months out and her breasts remain very soft. You can see the difference in the before and after photos.