After Radiation - How Long to Wait Before Replacing Expanders w/ Implants?

With radiation therapy, the tissue can become firm and lead to contracture around the implants, but it usually improves over time. This can be a couple of months or up to a year and your plastic surgeon can advise when things soften up enough to proceed. Many surgeons have found that the use of an acellular dermal matrix such as Alloderm can help overcome some of the effects of radiation. It may also be advantageous if the expanders are fully inflated before the radiation treatment is started.

Usually I wait about 4-6 months to exchange a tissue expander for an implant after radiation treatment.

The time between placement of tissue expanders and the permanent implantsnis usually about 3-4 months. This will be longer if post operative chemotherapy or radiation is necessary.

The literature is not all that clear on how long to wait post radiation before replacing expanders with implants. Most surgeons wait at least three months while some prefer to wait anywhere from 6 months to a year. The appearance and feel of the skin may influence the decision. Discuss these considerations with your surgeon.

After Radiation therapy there re some changes to the skin. Your plastic surgeon should be monitoring these changes and waiting for some recovery of the skin. Therefore your plastic surgeon can answer that question best because he can examine the skin , feel it evaluate it.

Follow the advise of your plastic surgeon

Usually I would wait a minimum of 3 to 6 months to replace breast tissue expanders with reconstructive breast implants, following mastectomy and radiation treatment.  However this time frame may vary depending on the amount of radiation and how quickly and well the skin and underlying tissues heal.