Tissue Expanders and Abnormal Test Results?

     Congratulations on getting through the first part of your reconstruction. For my reconstruction patients, I usually try to get a good idea about whether they ultimately want to have larger or smaller breasts than before their mastectomy. I try not to get too fixated on the...

    You have a large skin envelope, which usually works to your advantage in tissue expansion.  You may want to go larger with the size of the expander to get more projection and volume.  If there is a limitation in the capsule, the muscle, or dermal matrix (if...

I would encourage you to schedule a follow-up visit with your plastic surgeon immediately.An examination by your surgeon will ensure that there are no unexpected complications. 

Once fully healed, you should have no restrictions. I ask my patients to avoid strenuous physical activity for the 6 weeks after surgery while they recover. You now have a tissue expander and are going through the expansion process.  At this time I would be careful and not over-exert...

It is nearly impossible to tell whether or not the tight dressing contributed to the necrosis of your nipple/areola, as the viability of the nipple and areola is always quite finicky after nipple sparing mastectomies, even in the hands of very experienced general and plastic surgeons. I have had...

Unfortunately, necrotic skin that is black usually means all layers of the skin are no longer alive, and almost always requires surgery to remove it. The dead skin has no blood flow, so it is also at high risk of getting infected. If there is concern that the tissue expander has also been...