After a Mastectomy and Tissue Expansion, How Long Before the Final Implants Are Put In?

The answer to your question depends on multiple factors including but not limited to: 1) your desired volume goals, 2) how fast expansion is completed, 3) steps required for your cancer treatment (ie is chemo required? or radiation therapy required), etc. Please talk to your reconstructive plastic surgeon who will have the best handle on this matters. Best of luck. Dr. Basu Houston, TX

This depends on several factors: 1) Generally, the implant exchange is done after all the cancer treatment (if any) is completed. For instance, chemotherapy and/or radiation. In both of these cases time for recovery is factored in (6 weeks or so post chemo and 3-6 months post radiation). 2) Patient's desire for size: the patient will undergo several expansions until they are at a size close to their desired volume. 3) Patient anatomy: sometimes the patient will have expanded to the point... more

Thank you for your question. There is no universal agreement on when to remove the expanders and replace them with implants. Some plastic surgeons do the surgery within six months of completion of expansion and some wait for more than six months. It also depends on whether you had radiations therapy. You need to discuss this question with you plastic surgeon.