Is It Possible to Retain A Cup Breasts After Breast Reconstruction?

This wil depend on your body type (anatomy) and type of reconstruction.  But generally, its much easier to meet a patient's goals when they was a smaller size goal.  Talk to your plastic surgeon about your goals.

Combining bilateral mastectomies and immediate reconstructions has significant advantages IF the Breast Surgeon and Plastic surgeon communicate and work as a team. A great looking reconstructed breast can be obtained immediately IF the breast surgeon allows the Plastic surgeon to mark the incision and preserve (do not undermine) the breast fold. By so doing the Plastic surgeon can choose the ideal implants for you (based on either pre-operative measurements or better yet, based on... more

Hi. 1)  Of course you can remain the same breast size after post-mastectomy breast reconstruction. 2)  In our practice, staying small often eliminates the need for an additional operation, because you may not need tissue expanders.

I have had a lot of success with one step breast reconstruction, especially for small breasts. At the time of mastectomy, the plastic surgeon places the implant in a sub-pectoral postion. I personally use Alloderm, which is like a sheet of collagen, to make an "internal bra" to hold the implant in just the right spot.

The size of reconstruction should be gone over very carefully with your surgeon.   An A cup can be difficult to accomplish with even small implants or  even a small autologous tissue reconstruction. 

Theoretically, small breast reconstructions are the easiest to do. However, this supposes that there is sufficient skin left after the mastectomy. The fact that you are having bilateral mastectomies makes whatever you do for reconstruction easier, provided the same thing is done on both sides during the mastectomy. There can be several reasons for this decision to have bilateral mastectomies. The exact reason will dictate whether the nipple/areola complexes have to be removed or not. If... more

As you get ready for your surgery you should also have a consultation with a plastic surgeon to discuss the breast reconstruction. The mastectomy and the reconstruction should be considered together. The breast reconstruction can plan for a lot of different sizes so to get back to an A cup should be very reasonable. A team approach to do all of the surgery will get you the best results. Best Wishes Dr. Peterson

Your mastectomy should be coordinated with your reconstruction through your plastic surgeon. Do not simply go to a genera surgeon to hae the mastectomy and then wait until after to seek a plastic surgeon to do the reconstruction.It needs to be coordinated. Often what a plastic surgeon can and needs to do will greatly influence your method of surgical treatment for the cancer itself. If you are going to have bilateral total mastectomies, it might be possible to spare both skin and... more