Before and after left delayed TUG flap reconstruction in a 34 year old breast cancer survivor. She had previously had a left non-skin sparing mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation therapy in her home state of Alaska.
She waited a full year after radiation before she sought reconstruction. Her goal was to use her own tissue for reconstruction rather than an implant, given her radiation and her tight, contracted chest wall skin. She had little abdominal fat but has significant inner thigh fat that was ideal for a TUG flap.
A left TUG flap reconstructed the left breast and a right mastopexy (breast lift) helped her to achieve her aesthetic goals of a more shapely and lifted breast. Very early follow up photos are shown at three weeks after surgery.
She is ready to travel back to Alaska and will return for a nipple and areola reconstruction in 6 to 12 months. She is a candidate for nipple sharing (free nipple graft from the right side) or a local flap technique to make a new nipple. Medical tattoo will create a new areola.
She is also a candidate for free fat grafting to further contour her inner and outer thighs at the same time.
*All photos are actual patient photographs and are for illustrative purposes only. Individual results may vary.
