Before and after bilateral mastectomy and DIEP flap breast reconstruction in a 56 year old woman with significant preoperative breast asymmetry. In her home state, she was only offered implants for reconstruction or a muscle-sacrificing procedure that would put her at risk of abdominal bulge or hernia or a long, deforming back scar.
She traveled to San Francisco for her Microsurgical breast reconstruction, as there were no experienced breast reconstruction specialists in her area. A bilateral mastectomy was performed as a risk- reduction procedure given this patient’s many breast biopsies in the past and a strong family history of breast cancer. Bilateral DIEP flaps reconstructed her breasts.
Her nipples and areolas were saved and replaced at the end of the surgery as free nipple-areola complex grafts. Note the mild loss of pigmentation postoperatively; this can be tattooed medically at a second stage procedure if desired.
Follow up photos are shown at 7 months after surgery. Her abdomen is flat, her breasts are lifted, and she has dramatically reduced her risk of breast cancer using her body’s own tissue, without a foreign body and without sacrificing major muscles from her body.
*All photos are actual patient photographs and are for illustrative purposes only. Individual results may vary.
