Before and after bilateral DIEP flap reconstruction in a 63 year old woman. She previously had a right lumpectomy and radiation and had a recurrent or new right breast cancer. She tested positive for the BRCA gene and chose to have bilateral mastectomies and immediate breast reconstruction using her own tissue. She was an ideal candidate for the DIEP flap.
Both of her DIEP flaps were buried beneath her own breast skin. Her left nipple and areola was saved as a free nipple-areola complex graft and was reapplied to the breast at the end of her surgery.
It is common for darker areolas to lose pigment for a temporary period after grafting surgery; the melanocytes (pigment cells) wake up after weeks to months and begin producing normal pigment again. If they stay slightly lighter, medical tattoo can normalize their color at a second stage procedure.
Early follow up photos are shown one month after surgery. She is still quite swollen in all surgical areas and bruising is still evident under her mastectomy skin, as expected so soon after surgery. She moved back home to another state for her retirement and completed her reconstruction there.
*All photos are actual patient photographs and are for illustrative purposes only. Individual results may vary.
