Before and after breast reconstruction revision in a 58-year-old breast cancer survivor. She previously had a left non-nipple-sparing mastectomy, tissue expander reconstruction, chemotherapy and radiation to her left chest.
Scar tissue had contracted around the expander, creating a pointy implant “knuckle” from a sharp fold created by scar around the device. Two years after her cancer treatment, she was ready for an improvement! She wanted to use her own body’s tissue for reconstruction – she was an appropriate candidate for the DIEP flap.
Skin and fat from her lower abdomen was microvascularly transplanted to her chest on one tiny artery and two veins. A “free flap” is similar to a transplantation, but instead of transplanting tissue from one person to another person, microsurgical breast reconstruction moves it from one part of a woman’s body to another. The healthy, well-vascularized tissue from the abdomen brings with it a new blood supply that helps to counteract some of the radiation effects.
After surgery, she took six weeks off work and allowed herself to heal without extra stressors at work. Six months after her flap, she had left nipple and areola reconstruction using a free nipple graft (“nipple sharing”) and medical tattoo. Follow up photos are shown 6 months after her flap, and 3 months after nipple-areola reconstruction.
*All photos are actual patient photographs and are for illustrative purposes only. Individual results may vary.
