I Had a Bilateral Mastectomy and my Surgeon Suggests 550cc Expander Inflation

When you are having a breast reconstruction with expanders, you always have to over expand the tissue in order to get a soft, natural result.  If you're surgeon is planning to expand you to 550cc then he is probably planning to put in about a 500 cc implant which would probably give you a big "B" or small "C" breast depending on your body type.  The benefit of going through expansion is that you have control over the size and can tell your plastic surgeon that you feel you are big enough before you reach the 550 cc goal.

You need to ask the surgeon what size implant they are expecting to place in the space created by the 550cc expander.  This is a discussion you need to have with your surgeon in the very near future.  If you do not feel they are listening, then you need to communicate with them in a manner they will listen.  Make an appointment to have a conference with the surgeon and talk about this specifically.

The amount of expansion after a mastectomy allows you very good control of what size you want to be. Generally the amount of expansion planned is given as a range but often we over expand to get more tissue. The final size of the implant can then be adjusted to the full amount expansion of less. Also remember that  though a number sounds big, it often signifies a smaller breast because you no longer have any of your own breast tissue after the mastectomy. Let the doctor know once your expansion process gets to a size you are comfortable with and remember the number isn't as important as how the breast looks on your body.