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A Tissue Expander with an Implant
A Tissue Expander with an Implant: In this method, a tissue expander is placed under your chest muscles (these muscles have no change in function after surgery). The expander is then inflated every 2-3 weeks for about 3-4 months. This inflation requires a visit to the plastic surgeon who injects salt water using a needle into the expander. There is some temporary (1-4 hours) chest tightness after each procedure. When expansion is finished, it is generally painless. Then, in 3-6 months when the chest skin is stretched enough (like a woman's abdomen stretches during pregnancy) the expander is removed and a permanent saline (salt water) implant that matches your other breast is put in. This involves a second, relatively minor operation. Then, if you wish, the nipple is reconstructed in a third, minor operation. Your plastic surgeon can show you these expanders and implants when you are in the office. These implants now come in a very wide range of shapes and sizes, so that most women's opposite breast can be closely matched. The advantages of this surgery are that it is the simplest reconstructive method and all of the surgeries are relatively minor. Disadvantages of this type of breast reconstruction include a longer mastectomy scar and 2-3 operations (one of which is done at the same time as the mastectomy if you have immediate reconstruction). Also, you must go to your plastic surgeon's office every 2-3 weeks to have your expander inflated. In addition, initially after surgery, there is really no breast until after the expander had been inflated a few times. This technique may not be possible in some patients who will receive radiation therapy treatment, because the radiation can cause hardening of the implant. The reconstructed breast always feels hard and often tight, and will never droop naturally. Finally, some women prefer a more natural reconstruction using their own tissues to create a breast.
 Pre and Post-Operative Exercises |
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