How long do I have to wait to have an abdominoplasty after radiation treatment to the breast and why?

Question

Diagnosed breast cancer: July/16. Lumpectomy: Aug/16--clear margins, no cancer in lymph nodes. Four treatments chemo--ended Dec/16. Sixteen treatments radiation--ended Feb/17. Exercise regularly--maintaining good weight. I want/need an abdominoplasty July/17--medical leave limited, need something good for me, mitigate disruption to students I work with. Is this decision predetermined or made on an individual basis? Please explain--be specific.

Dallas Buchanan, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. Sorry to hear about your diagnosis but congrats on completing your treatments. In regards to an abdominoplasty, if there was no radiation to the area, then there should not be any strict contra-indications to proceeding with surgery. After chemo and radiation treatments, your body would benefit from time to recover before going back to surgery, but your radiation MD and your oncologist can help to discuss this with you. I think that if you want to proceed with cosmetic surgery to your abdomen in July of this year, it could be a reasonable goal. Make sure you are seeing a surgeon in your area who is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. This way you can assure yourself that your safety is the primary concern.Best of luck!

Aldo Guerra, MD · Answer

Thanks for your interest in tummy tuck. Good luck with your cancer treatment. You should wait until your immune system recovers completely from the chemo/radiation treatments. Be sure your nutrition stays in good shape.Best wishes, Dr. ALDO :)

Elizabeth Hall-Findlay, MD · Answer

Radiation will continue to create changes to your breast shape over months and years - unfortunately - so you will not be sure of your final result and shape for some time to come.  If your lumpectomy/radiation breast result is unacceptable then your plastic surgeon may want to use some of the extra skin etc from your abdomen for reconstruction.  If you have an abdominoplasty at this stage then you might be removing one of your potential options for reconstruction.   It makes sense for you to want to do something for yourself at this stage but waiting another year and planning for the summer of 2018 might be a wise choice.  You have good plastic surgeons who perform reconstruction in Calgary and advice to seek someone with board certification is for American patients.  In Canada, the equivalent of American Board certification is the FRCSC after the doctor's name - it means "Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada" and you will be looking for someone who has their FRCSC in Plastic Surgery.  Many Canadian plastic surgeons are certified both in the US and Canada but the recommendation to see a board certified plastic surgeon is because in the US there are many physicians who mislead patients about their qualifications.  This is much less of a problem in Canada.

How long do I have to wait to have an abdominoplasty after radiation treatment to the breast and why?

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How long do I have to wait to have an abdominoplasty after radiation treatment to the breast and why?

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Everything you need to know about Tummy Tuck

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.