How Long Does It Take for Alloderm to Completely Integrate into the Body?

In my experience I have seen AlloDerm incorporated as early as 3 months after placement.  Implant exercises should not delay or impede the incorporation of the AlloDerm.

Dr. ES

Alloderm becomes partially integrated as living tissue with a few weeks in most cases but it can be up to a few months before the process is complete. My personal opinion re the exercises is to be very careful early on or you may dislodge the alloderm before it is incorporated, and I haven't seen any convincing evidence the the exercises make a difference in preventing capsular contracture anyway. You should however go with your own surgeon's advice and not subsitute online opinions.

First, I would not do any exercises unless approved by your surgeon. Alloderm will generally show signs of incorporation over a six month period.

Alloderm and tissue start to heal together immediately and are reasonably "stuck" after about a week. I generally see drain fluid output that is minimal about a week after using Alloderm which indicates this to be the case, along with the fact that I remove drains in most patients at about that point with only rare seroma problems. For breast cancer, I exchange expanders for implants routinely at 3 months after the expanders are put in and the Alloderm is well integrated. 
As for quadrant exercises, I would recommend asking your surgeon. The way the Alloderm was secured to your tissue and the other things done to treat the CC will be important factors in determining appropriate quadrant exercises.

Acellular dermal matrix integrates ( becomes part of) the patient's surrounding tissues; this process probably takes about 3 to 6 months to occur. For example, when we are operating on patients who have had acellular dermal matrix used in the past, it is commonplace to see the previously used matrix integrated and still present. Hope this, and the attached link, helps.

Capsular contracture revisions are notoriously apt to fail with a 50% recurrence rate seen with capsulectomy and worse with capsulotomy (placing releasing cuts in the capsule). The incorporation of acellular dermal matrices ADM's - like Alloderm and Strattice into the repair has dramatically lowered the rate of recurrence in such revisions. Although the rate of incorporation and tissue ingrowth into these materials vary, it is largely underway or complete by 6-8 months.

Good Luck.

Dr. Peter A. Aldea