Before and after right nipple-sparing mastectomy and immediate implant reconstruction in a 43-year-old woman with breast cancer. Following two past lumpectomies on the right, she had positive margins and required a completion mastectomy. She did not want to have major surgery on the left.
Her reconstruction involved placement of a smooth round permanent but postoperatively adjustable saline-filled implant on the right in the prepectoral position, on top of the muscle. Her left breast had a very minor lift so that the left nipple position better matched the right.
Liposuction removed a small amount of excess fat in her armpit regions – known as the axillary rolls. We always incorporate aesthetic principles into breast reconstruction in order to reach the best aesthetic outcome, just as for purely cosmetic procedures.
Long-term follow up photos are shown 6 years after surgery. Her right breast implant port was removed in the office under local anesthesia. She is very pleased with her symmetry and that she did not have to undergo more surgery than necessary.
It is indeed possible to create good symmetry with an implant to a natural breast (without needing to also augment the other side) – as long as it is placed on top of the muscle, and when attention is taken to the natural breast pocket
*All photos are actual patient photographs and are for illustrative purposes only. Individual results may vary.
