This week, James E. Craigie, MD, of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction answers your question.

Question: I had mastectomy & silicone implants in late ’92. I was never happy with them. My concern is the years I’ve had my implants, and I won’t go back to my plastic surgeon who did them. Should I have any concerns about their age? I do have other issues with the appearance. Thank you in advance.

Answer: In general, implants don’t need to be replaced after any certain time following surgery. As time goes by, there is a chance that the implants could leak. In that situation, they would likely change by getting more firm. If the implants are not causing problems, there is probably nothing wrong. If you are unhappy with the results, then you should have a plastic surgeon see you and give an opinion. If you don’t want to go back to the surgeon who did the surgery, then you should get a second opinion from another plastic surgeon in your area. We see patients who have had problems with their implants frequently and if you would like to be seen we could make arrangements. If you are not in the area, I would be glad to make arrangements  for a phone consult. Just let me know. Thank you for your question.

Have a question about breast reconstruction or post-surgical you’d like answered from our surgical team? Just ask!

This week, James E. Craigie, MD, of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction answers your question.

Question: I live in Florida. I had breast cancer 15 years ago and had lumpectomy (r) breast and radiation. My right breast is much smaller than the left and is scarred . I would like to make both breasts symmetrical even and lifted. I have been told because of radiation treatment the right breast would not heal properly?

Answer: Thank you for your question. You  are correct that after radiation the breast tissue will not heal normally following surgery to correct asymmetry. Because the radiation impairs healing attempts to lift or change the breast shape often don’t work. Using an implant to increase the breast size is high risk for implant related problems. If surgery is attempted and a healing complication occurs, then the scaring and the result is often worse.

Two possible options for someone in general include:

1) Fat grafting to the radiated breast 

2) Completion mastectomy to remove the radiated tissue and reconstruction of the entire breast with your own fatty tissue. Option 1 would only be helpful for mild to  moderate shape problems and option 2 would be more involved but in my opinion the most helpful approach.

Let me know if you would like more information about these approaches.

Have a question about breast reconstruction or post-surgical you’d like answered from our surgical team? Just ask!