How long does expander have to be in place before the implant exchange?

Question

I had prophylactic mastectomies about 4 years. Implant reconstruction with strattice failed because I was apparently allergic to the strattice. I want to try again but am concerned about recovery time. Can I return to work soon after the expanders are put in? I have a desk job. Then how long will the expanders need to be in before I can have my implants? I'm just looking for maybe a size B breast. How long from start to finish is what I need to know. I assume the mastectomy was the worse part.

Roxanne Sylora, MD · Answer

Typically expanders are left in place for about 3 months after expansion is complete.  This can vary a little from surgeon to surgeon, but each procedure typically does not take very long, nor is the recovery very long.  It should differ greatly from your experience with the initial mastectomies.

Allen Gabriel, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question and sorry about your issues in the past.  Generally expanders stay in for about three months to make sure the pocket is mature where the implant will be placed.  For your reconstruction you can go over or under the muscle and over muscle will have an easier recovery.  You can also request Botox to be Injected into the muscle so you have less pain during the post operative course and during expansions.  Best of luck.

Dhaval M. Patel, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. In general, you will need to take of a week or so after having an expander placed. You will still have some activity restrictions but you should be able to get back to a desk job. You will undergo weekly expansions in office for few weeks until you and your plastic surgeon are happy with the final volume. After full expansion, it's best to wait at least 3 months if not more prior to having the expander removed and an implant placed. Best of Luck.

Paul Gill, MD · Answer

In terms of immediate recovery, I would try to get 2 weeks off from a deskjob to focus on drain/incision care and give ample time to recovery.   You can usually begin expansion around 2 weeks postop and it will take 4-6 weeks to fully expand you without breaks.   This put you at 2 months.Lastly, we like to wait 4-6 weeks for the skin to relax around the expander once expansion is complete.   Hence, you are looking at roughly 3 months prior to your final implant placement.

Bahram Ghaderi, MD · Answer

In general tissue expanders are in for about 3 months before you are ready to have the second exchange surgery for the final implant. Once you have the expander placed, you will need about 5 days or so to heal before returning to desk work. Also, you will need to be healing for about 3-4wks before any expansion can start. Once the pocket has fully healed which takes about 3 months, you can schedule your second surgery. Each surgeon may have some variation of this timeline and best to discuss with them for specifics.

Josef Hadeed, MD, FACS · Answer

In general, most women require 4-6 weeks off from work after placing tissue expanders, although this will depend on the specific postoperative instructions of your plastic surgeon.  The length of time that the expanders stay in until they are exchanged for the implants depends on several factors, including the specific time point when the expansions start after the initial surgery (most surgeons wait 2-3 weeks before initiating expansion), the amount of fluid that you can tolerate with each fill, and the size of the breast that you are looking to achieve.  Generally speaking, you can expect about 3-4 months from the time the expanders are placed until they are replaced with the implants.  A consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon can help you to understand this process in more detail.  Best wishes.

How long does expander have to be in place before the implant exchange?

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