Before and after bilateral mastectomies and immediate breast reconstruction with the DIEP flap in a 50 year old woman. She had a right breast cancer close to the nipple and areola – a skin sparing mastectomy was planned. She chose to have a prophylactic mastectomy on the left side and a bilateral DIEP flap reconstruction.
Before surgery, she required neoadjuvant chemotherapy to help shrink the tumor. As is very common, she gained weight and experienced full body edema (swelling). Follow up photos are shown at one month after her DIEP flap reconstructions. A patch of abdominal skin is taking the place of the right nipple and areola. Her incisions are pink and she has edema of her body, as expected.
She will complete chemotherapy and continue to heal before having nipple and areola reconstruction on the right. At her second stage procedure, she is also a candidate for free fat grafting, which will improve her donor site and remove any additional unwanted fat.
*All photos are actual patient photographs and are for illustrative purposes only. Individual results may vary.
