mastectomy and implant at the same time.

daenerys30

I am meeting my plastic surgeon for the first time tomorrow. I am getting a unilateral mastectomy and I would like to just have the reconstruction done at the same time. Is there anyone here who has had it done? What are the pros and cons? Is the recovery time longer?

Beesie

If you do a search of the Reconstruction Forum (use the search bar on the left side of this page) you will find lots of discussion about one-step reconstruction.

Here is one discussion thread that is 110 pages long:

Topic: One step implant procedure with Alloderm - Anyone? https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topics...

Dani444

I had a UMX with direct to implant. I have a silicone gel implant above the muscle with alloderm. I was able to do skin sparing but did not keep my nipple. My recovery time was 6 weeks until I went back to work. I know some people have been able to return sooner but my job involves a lot of lifting and didn’t feel ready until then. I was told going in they would not know if they could do the implant until they had done the mastectomy. If the skin looked too traumatized she would have done an expander, then an exchange. I ended up needing radiation after due to positive nodes so my implant sits pretty high and my skin is tighter than before rads. I will say that I am uneven and I am sure I see it more than others. I have found bra shopping impossible but I really think if I had not had rads it would be different. I am sorry you need to behere and wish you the best. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions I can answer.

MBPooch

I had a BMX with direct to implant with great results and highly recommend. It was nice to just have the one surgery and wake up with breasts that were similar to what I had. I didn't find the recovery to be that bad. I had implants in the past and aside from the drains it was a similar recovery for me. It's definitely something worth looking into.