Nipple sparing mastectomy

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B10mc
B10mc Member Posts: 3
edited September 2018 in Breast Reconstruction

I had a nipple sparing double mastectomy a couple of months ago and will be having my implant surgery in a few weeks. As the tissue expanders were inflated, by nipples are now uneven. My doctor told me she could get them close, but i'm concerned about their appearance and how uneven they'll be. Has anyone had this experience? Were they able to correct it?

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited September 2018

    B10mc, sorry you didn't get responses to your question yet. Hope bumping your post will help somebody with similar experiences read it and give a reply.

    Kind wishes,

    From The Mods

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  • wanderweg
    wanderweg Member Posts: 549
    edited September 2018

    I had a nipple-sparing mastectomy on 6/11 and my exchange surgery on 8/7. My nipples were wonky with the expanders. One sort of went off to the side and my one was bigger than the other, and I was worried, too. However, now they are very symmetrical. My PS told me they try a few different size implants and sit you up in surgery to see how they look when you are upright. They are the same size and both nipples in the same place.

    I will say that immediately after surgery I was taken aback by how round they were and how far apart on my chest. I felt like I had two water balloons stuck on my skinny frame. But over time they have dropped some and look a little more natural. And great in clothes. I'll be honest, I absolutely loved my breasts (and so did every boyfriend I've had) and it was a gut punch to lose them and have them replaced with fake ones. My husband says that because they're covered in my skin and have my nipples, they just look like my breasts to him. He was very happy with the outcome. And I'm gradually getting used to them.

    I hope that helps! I can only speak about my own experience but I'm happy to answer any questions.

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  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited September 2018

    Initially after my NS procedure I was very even, but ended up losing my left expander after some skin issues and several subsequent surgeries. That expander was out for seven months through chemo. When it was replaced and filled I was no longer symmetrical - the left nipple was smaller and higher. I was pleasantly surprised that after exchange surgery I was again symmetrical, although the left still looked smaller. I did consider having an areola tattoo to enlarge the left, but ended up with some other issues and elected not to.

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  • Dani444
    Dani444 Member Posts: 522
    edited September 2018

    I am reading with interest as I am having a nipple sparing UMX coming up in October. I am sure they are on here but i haven't found a lot of UMX that had an implant. I already worry I am going to look lopsided. I hope my nipple doesn't make it look too off.

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  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited September 2018

    dani - you might PM or post to whippetmom from the breast implant 101 thread and ask her about NSUMX and her thoughts/experience. I have linked the thread below for you:

    https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topics/746448?page=495#post_5278501

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  • victorialee
    victorialee Member Posts: 20
    edited September 2018

    I had a UMX yesterday and while I haven't really seen my breast that well it looks great what I do see. I saw my nipple and it looked fine. My PS said I may need to build up my good boob down the road to help even things out.

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  • B10mc
    B10mc Member Posts: 3
    edited September 2018

    Thank you all for your replies. I'll try to stay positive. All the best!

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