Reduction surgery after radiation

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grandmaadams
grandmaadams Member Posts: 70
edited June 2020 in Breast Reconstruction

Has anyone had experience with reconstruction/reduction surgery after radiation. My last radiation treatment will be almost exactly two years before my scheduled surgery. I am having both breasts reduced, due to size and asymmetry, and wasn't told there was an option to have this done before radiation. I am a little nervous about the radiated breast healing. Thanks for any information.

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  • allyncics
    allyncics Member Posts: 4
    edited June 2020

    hi,

    I had radiation well before I had my reconstruction. When you find a reconstruction doctor you have to find a reconstruction plastic surgery doctor that deals with radiation patients because there’s different reconstruction doctors. There’s reconstruction doctors that deal with patients to just of had radiation along with doctors it only deal with chemo patients for reconstruction. Whoever let you do read construction before your treatment has done it wrong. I had my radiation and it was a year later when I started my reconstruction. My doctors in Florida had told me I had to have treatment before I could have radiation that is the standard protocol. I work in the healthcare industry so that is how I know. Whoever let you do construction before your treatment has done it wrong. I had my radiation and it was a year later when I started my reconstruction. My doctors in Florida had told me I had to have treatment before I could have radiation that is the standard protocol. I work in the healthcare industry so that is how I know

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  • sbelizabeth
    sbelizabeth Member Posts: 2,889
    edited June 2020

    I had extensive radiation after a unilateral mastectomy, and then waited nine months for my DIEP recon. It takes at least that long for the skin to settle down after the damage of rads, and even then, my surgeon had to remove a lot of damaged tissue during the surgery. Yes, there can be issues with radiated skin, but I didn't experience any.

    My plastic surgeon was a believer in hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and after every surgery (and there were many...) he had me do several weeks of treatments, but this isn't common.

    Since you're just having a reduction, not an extensive reconstruction procedure, I would think your skin will hold up after 2 years of healing.

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