This week, James E. Craigie, MD, of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction answers your question.
Question: Can you fix a bilateral mastectomy gone wrong? My breasts are now hideous to look at and I’m ashamed of my body now. They are lopsided and not even and I’m left with a 2 inch scar across my entire chest.
Answer: It is difficult to know what we might be able to do for you with the information you gave us, but usually something can be done to at least make things somewhat better.
Many of our patients had multiple prior surgeries elsewhere before we met them, and we were able to help many of them. We would be delighted to have one of our clinical staff members to call you to discuss your situation in more detail, if you wish. Simply call 1-866-374-2627 or e-mail info@naturalbreastreconstruction.com and we can get that arranged for you.
Have a question about breast reconstruction or post-surgical you’d like answered from our surgical team? Just ask!
Hello! I am brca1 and 2 positive and my doctor recommended a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy. So for sure, I am going through breast reconstruction. Which one do you recommend for breast natural looking and be safe too?
Thank you for your question. The options for breast reconstruction generally include two different approaches, implant procedures or procedures that use your own natural fatty tissue without removing your muscles. Safety is the number one consideration for any option and is more dependent on your overall health than the type of surgery. There is no one right way that is the best way for every person. To determine the best option for you may require me to see you in person. Hopefully I can help by giving you some basic information about your options. Because you are considering preventive mastectomy to prevent breast cancer you should be in a position to get a very good result with either approach. Having a preventive mastectomy means you most likely can keep your breast skin and nipple regardless of what type of reconstruction you have. When using your own natural tissue the results are more natural in appearance and “feel “ compared to implants. Also the end results once complete are more permanent. The disadvantage of using your own tissue is that you need to have surgery in two areas of your body therefore more recovery initially. In other words we need to remove the fatty tissue from the donor area (tummy tissue is the most common area) in order to make a breast. When using implants there is no donor area so the recovery is quicker but the end results are not as natural or permanent. Women with implants frequently need surgery later related to implant problems. This can happen sooner or even years later.
In summary, we would need more information from you in order to decide what approach is best. Let me know if you would like to see me in consult or even to discuss your situation over the phone. Thanks again for your question!
Dr. Craigie