26 Year Old Wants Natural Looking Breasts After Mastectomy?

What are the best breast reconstruction methods, for a natural look and reduced visibility of scar tissue? I want to look as normal as possible and live as normal a life as possible after the surgery. The final appearance of the reconstruction both with clothing on and off is extremely important to me, as I'm just 26.

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10 Doctor Answers | Asked by anon

Doctor Answers (10)
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Natural appearing breasts following mastectomy.

Thanks for your question. Let me start by saying that I am really sorry for your present situation, its never fair when a person gets breast cancer but 26 is especially an unfair situation. To answer your question the most natural appearing breasts following mastectomy will always result from using your own tissue. I would suggest a DIEP flap for someone who is your age with a skin sparing mastectomy performed by the General Surgeon. This can result in an almost... more

Consider fat micro grafting for reconstruction

You may want to seriously consider fat micrografting for reconstruction of the breasts after mastectomy. It is a completely natural and 100% outpatient procedure without additional scarring and without implants, and the added benefit of liposuction for body contouring. My own wife has undergone this procedure. We perform this procedure in our federally certified ambulatory surgery center, and are able to work with your insurance company for coverage.

What is the Best Technique for Breast Reconstruction?

Each patient must be evaluated as an individual and therefore, the optimal technique for breast reconstruction will vary from patient to patient. That being said, as a general notion, I favor autologous tissue breast reconstruction procedures where no breast implants are used, and it is the patient's own skin and fat that are fashioned into a warm, soft, natural breast. These tissues are transplanted from the abdomen, buttocks, and... more

Natural looking vs Natural feeling

There are a lot of factors, both from a general surgery standpoint and a plastic surgery standpoint, that will affect the reconstructive options available to you. Natural "looking" could simply mean the best looking reconstruction that you can obtain with what tissue and skin is leftover after mastectomy. An example is whether or not your nipples can be spared. Scars can sometimes be minimized or controlled, but discuss this with both the general and the plastic... more

Breast reconstruction

Usually the best breast reconstructions are often with autologous tissue if the donor sites are available. This is often obtained from the abodminal region but can be taken from the inner thigh or backside region.

Steven Wallach, MD

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Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Best Method of Breast Reconstruction

The "best" method of breast reconstruction depends on your starting anatomy (breast, chest, and available skin flap donor sites), individual preferences for implants vs. autogenous tissue, type and stage of your breast cancer, and the type of mastectomy performed. In general, as other responders have alluded to, the less breast skin taken with your mastectomy, the better the result. Dr. Suzanne Klimberg and colleagues from the University of Arkansas recently published a... more

Breast Reconstruction techniques to achieve natural appearing results

I would recommend that you first have a thorough discussion with your breast surgeon and oncologist as to your most appropriate treatment for cure and/or future risk reduction. In general, the more breast skin that can be preserved, the better the reconstruction that can be achieved. Skin-sparing mastectomy leaves the majority of the breast skin, while a nipple-sparing mastectomy goes one step further by preserving the entire breast skin and nipple/areola. In such cases, you... more

Breast reconstruction technique in younger women

It's difficult to answer this question as there's a lot to consider. One issue is one-sided versus two mastectomies. With only one mastectomy, it is very difficult to get an identical match to the opposite breast. One breast is natural and the other is doctor-made. They will be similar but not the same. Also, it depends on the size of your breasts now and what size you want to be after. For small to medium-size breasted women (A to C cup), immediate... more

Breast Reconstruction

The first priority is to have a consult with your breast surgeon, Plastic surgeon, and oncologist to see what is the recommendation for treatment, ie the mastectomy? the need for chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Then Your plastic surgeon , based on those informations, can discuss the options available for you. Logicaly a skin sparing mastectomy, reconstruction with implant, or flaps and which type of flap.Implant reconstruction will require maintainance. Flaps add... more

Best options for breast reconstruction in younger women

A few assumptions are necessary in order to answer your question: since you are young, I am guessing that you are BRCA positive and considering a bilateral prophylactic mastectomy. In that instance I would recommend as the top option to have a skin-sparing mastectomy and direct-to-implant immediate reconstruction with Alloderm to form an internal bra. In expert hands, that should produce natural-appearing results.