No Cleavage After Mastectomy, Expanders and HP Gel Implants Under Muscle?

My wife (post mastectomy for CA) just had (7-10-2012) tissue expanders taken out and 700cc hp gel implants put in under the muscle. She's concerned with how they do not protrude out and it appears as though there will be little cleavage. Once the swelling subsides. How much of a factor does swelling and time factor into how her breast will look?

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2 Doctor Answers | Asked by loving husband

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No Cleavage After Mastectomy, Expanders and HP Gel Implants Under Muscle?

I do a great deal of breast cancer reconstruction and I can tell you the one thing we all fight in our breast cancer patients is obtaining projection (how far the breasts stick outward) and cleavage. Reconstructed breasts will never be the same as the original breasts. That is the first leap I have my patients take prior to reconstructive surgery. Being that said you can have an excellent result, but it may take many surgeries to get there. Implants have limits in breast reconstruction. At... more

Breast reconstruction

Implant Breast Reconstruction can never duplicate the original breast. The reconstruction results are dependant on the mastectomy procedure, there are areas that an implant can not fill and replace. To achieve a complete result such as projection and cleavage, these may require fat transfer to those areas where the mastectomy has removed the breast tissue and fat. These additive procedures may require multiple procedures. Also remember that the fat transfer may not be covered by your... more