AlloDerm Q&A
50%
WORTH IT RATING
"Worth It Rating" shows the % of consumer reviewers that stated the procedure was "Worth It" or not. See more RealSelf Worth It Ratings or Add Your Review
4 Reviews
AlloDermbefore & after photos
View Before and Afters

Average AlloDerm Cost: $525

Learn about AlloDerm

34 people and 82 doctors are talking about AlloDerm

Get Free Email Updates

Alloderm for Symmastia?

asked 2 years ago by plzhelp in North Carolina
Latest answer by Michael H. Rosenberg, MD
Question viewed 1,226 times
Tags: breasts, female, symmastia, uni-boob

What is the success rate of using Alloderm to correct Symmastia?

14 answers to Alloderm for Symmastia?

+1

The treatment of synmastia, which fortunately is a rare clinical problem, should

Include the use of acellular dermal matrix to reinforce the repair. Essentially, in synmastia, the two implants have combined to create a single plane which extends across the midline, which can give the appearance of one continuous breast. One method to correct this difficult problem is to remove the implants, allow the tissue to heal, and then go back and replace the implants at a slightly different level. If the patient is determined to keep the implants, the... more
Michael H. Rosenberg, MD

White Plains Plastic Surgeon
+1

Symmastia repair with Alloderm

Symmastia (medial malposition breast implants) can be corrected with high likelihood of success (about 90% success rate) is using medial breasts implant pocket sutures (medial capsulorrhaphy), lateral capsulotomy (if necessary), and/or the use of allograft. I do not believe that a staged procedure, involving removal of implants for period of time, is necessary. There is a learning curve with this operation and I recommend that you seek consultation with a board-certified plastic... more
Tom J. Pousti, MD

San Diego Plastic Surgeon
+1

Symmastia and Alloderm

Symmastia is a diffficult condition to correct The availability of acellular dermal matrices such as Alloderm has greatly improved the success rate in treating symmastia,hovever the surgeon should be highly experienced in using these materials There are several several acellular dermal matrices like Alloderm available .They are obtained fron either human or animal sources .Synthetic meshes can also be used in selected cases
Hilton Becker, MD

Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon
+1

Alloderm has made the treatment of symmastia more predictable and permanent

From reading all the responses, clearly it can be seen that treatment of symmastia is a very difficult problem. It involves multiple variables in order to predictably correct the problem with an aesthetically pleasing outcome. That being said, when performed skillfully, Alloderm is an essential component (and innovation) in the predictable and successful treatment of symmastia. The biggest issue that I have had with it is the exorbitant cost which most patients have difficulty with -... more
Steven Turkeltaub, MD

Scottsdale Plastic Surgeon
+1

Repair of Symmastia (Uniboob)

Symmastia, also known as uniboob, is a challenging problem to correct.  To correct this problem, usually multiple techniques are used, including changing pockets (neopectoral) for the implant, changing the size of the implant (e.g., narrower implants), reinforcing the repair with sutures and AlloDerm or another similar type of material (e.g., Strattice).  With this combination of techniques, the rate of success in repairing symmastia is close to 100%, per peer-reviewed journal... more
Adam D. Schaffner, MD

New York Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

High success with Alloderm or Strattice for symmastia correction

Symmastia occurs when breast implants are placed too close together and the tissue (skin) in between lifts up. One thing that causes it is implants that are too large in diameter, so the first principle of correcting it is to replace the implants with ones that have appropriate dimensions if necessary. However, what happens in symmastia whether or not the implants are too wide is the muscle attachment to the breastbone comes undone, so there is no longer a barrier to the implants... more
Richard Baxter, MD

Seattle Plastic Surgeon
+1

Synmastia Repair

Synmastia repair is one of the hardest things to reliably correct and get a stable, long term result.  Luckily it is rare, but for those of us who specialize in revision breast surgeries, it is the most challenging.  The use of Alloderm or Strattice has become common place, and really helps to reinforce the medial areas and helps define where the implants are going to sit.  It is not always necessary, but can be a very powerful adjunct to repairing the pocket/ muscle/ etc.... more
Christopher V. Pelletiere, MD

Barrington Plastic Surgeon
+1

Symmastia

AlloDerm will reinforce the repair of the symmastia. Because suture alone may not hold because of the thin skin and pressure of the implants pushing up on the skin. Other methods is to change the position of the implant.
Samir Shureih, MD

Baltimore Plastic Surgeon
+1

Treatment of Synmastia

As my colleagues have stated, synmastia is a challenging problems to fix. Synmastia clinically manifests as a "uni-breast" where the cleavage (space between breasts in the area of the chest plate) has been lost. Anatomically, usually it is because the medial aspect of each breast pocket has been over dissected or stretched out. If the implants were initially placed above the muscle, this can be improved with a site change surgery where the new implants are placed under the... more
C. Bob Basu, MD

Houston Plastic Surgeon
+1

Repair of Symmastia

This is a difficult problem as other has explained. The best way of approaching this is to remove the implant, close of the defect and come back later, about 6 months to redo the augmentation. Even then, you would have to go smaller than you are now. The single stage is possible but it does have a higher failure rate, however, again you would need to go much smaller. Good luck.
Farbod Esmailian, MD

Orange County Plastic Surgeon
+1

Very low success rate of Alloderm for symmastia correction

The success rate for Alloderm correction of symmastia is very low as are all other treatment options. Discuss in detail the risk/benefit ratios of the offered treatments with the operating surgeon. Then decide upon the one you feel most comfortable with. Regards.
Darryl J. Blinski, MD

Miami Plastic Surgeon
+1

Synmastia (uniboob) repair with Alloderm

Dr. Rand has provided an excellent concise answer to which there is not much to add. He has outlined the steps for a definitive treatment. Alloderm may provide separation of the pockets but repair or the "tunnel" is still one of the most important steps.
Otto Joseph Placik, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+1

Alloderm for symmastia

Symmastia is a tough condition to correct Sometimes changing the pocket plane can help, sometimes sutures are needed to tack down the central tissue. Still, others have been using Alloderm to help maintain the varying pockets.
Steven Wallach, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon
+1

Treatment of symmastia

Symmastia is a rare and difficult to treat complication of breast augmentation also known as a "uni-breast" or "uni-boob." The numbers are too small to give you a success "rate" figure with Alloderm or any other treatment for that matter. In my opinion, the one-stage procedures have the greatest failure rate. I would normally propose removal of the implants, obliteration of the excess pocket, and re-augmentation after 6 months of healing with SMALLER... more
Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Ask a question