Implant reconstruction

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Alylasley
Alylasley Member Posts: 6
edited February 2018 in Breast Reconstruction

So I am having a double mastectomy (I am 23) and I am going from a 40c to a 40b cup size. Is silicon going to be slightly lighter then natural?and how bad will the scaring be for me, I am getting married once im recovered and the scaring kinda makes me scared about my self esteem i already have a low opnion on myself

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  • mitzi458
    mitzi458 Member Posts: 64
    edited February 2018

    Have you absolutely decided on implant surgery? Have you researched any of the other types of surgery? I would bet that if you have your recon done at the same time as your bilateral mx, your results will look fantastic. They can do a lot more if you can do it all at once. Do you need to have radiation?

    I’m sure there are more experienced people here than me. I had an implant over a lat flap 10 years ago. It was saline and I never had any problems with it. This time I had one surgeon tell me he wanted to replace it withsilicone for better results. I don’t have any scars on my right breast where the implant is because I did it at the same time. Because I never did the left side, I am going to do a DIEP flap and will have scars. I have a feeling your husband, like mine, will just be happy that you are alive. : )

    Best advice through all of this is to stay positive. You are 23 and have a fantastic long life ahead of you!!

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  • Alylasley
    Alylasley Member Posts: 6
    edited February 2018

    Thank you, yes they did discuss it with me but my mom also had breast cancer and had flap reconstruction and it wasnt pleasant so I decided on the implants. Luckily they dont think i need Radiation :)

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  • NotVeryBrave
    NotVeryBrave Member Posts: 1,287
    edited February 2018

    I think the implants are very similar in weight to the natural breast tissue, but they tend to feel heavier - maybe because of a loss in normal sensation?

    I had skin and nipple sparing BMX with direct to implant reconstruction above the pectoral muscles. My incisions were long curved lines under the breasts. My scars have faded and aren't noticeable unless I lift the breasts.


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  • wallan
    wallan Member Posts: 1,275
    edited February 2018

    I had implants in just 3 weeks ago bilaterally. My PS made a thing about them being heavier than natural tissue.

    She got me to hold the implants in the office to feel the weight. She told me that if you go bigger, you may have issues with your back because they are heavier.

    I wanted bigger, but I am same size as I was pre mastectomy. They look good and the scar is already fading.


    wallan

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited February 2018

    I had a nipple sparing bilateral mastectomy in September with tissue expanders placed. Then in December I had my exchange surgery for the silicone implants. My scars are thin lines under the breasts, barely noticeable. The scars from the drains are more noticeable than the scars from the mastectomy. The tissue expanders were heavy, unforgiving, and horribly uncomfortable. I was so glad to finally be rid of them. The implants may be a little heavier than my natural breasts. I stayed the same size as I was before. My surgeon warned me that the bigger you go the heavier they are and can cause back problems. I really wasn't interested in anything bigger. I was a D cup and was happy staying there. I'm very happy with my results.

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  • Lula73
    Lula73 Member Posts: 1,824
    edited February 2018

    When did your mom have flap recon and was it a delayed recon or immediate? Flap recon has come a LONG way in the last few years. If you do immediate recon with flap you can usually do skin and/or nipple sparing. Typically 1 incision on each breast in the intramamnary fold or from the bottom of the nipple to the chest. Both types of incisions heal nicely. And you go into surgery with breasts and come back out with them. Flap breasts don’t need replacing down the road, they are not hard, they are not cold, they do not look/feel fake, they do not ripple, and they do not impede physical activity that involves arms/chest muscles. I actually have more confidence and esteem after BMX w/ immediate DIEP flap recon than I did before all of this. Being so young, it’s worth checking into before ruling it out. Here’s a link to before and after photos of what well done flap recons look like (you’d be looking at the ones that did not have MX in the before photo).

    https://www.breastcenter.com/result-photos/

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