Is a Mammogram Safe After Breast Lift?

Thank you for the question.

Mammograms are safe and essential for screening purposes. Please do not avoid them because you have had breast surgery. Mammography centers have special “displacement techniques” that allow for more visualization of breast tissue despite the presence of breast implants.

Best wishes.

Mammogram is necessary for breast cancer screening after age of 40.  Women with breast implants should follow the same American Cancer Society (ACS) program of recommended mammograms as women without breast implants. However, due to the implant, several special mammography views must be taken to allow visualization of both the breast tissue and the implant.

The x-rays used for mammographic imaging of the breasts cannot penetrate silicone or saline implants well enough to image the overlying or underlying breast tissue. Therefore, some breast tissue (up to 25%) may not be seen on the mammogram, as it will be covered up by the implant. In order to visualize as much breast tissue as possible, women with implants undergo four additional views as well as the four standard images taken during diagnostic mammography. In these additional x-ray pictures, called Eklund views or implant displacement (ID) views, the implant is pushed back against the chest wall and the breast is pulled forward over it. This allows better imaging of the forward most part of each breast. The implant displacement views are not as successful in women who have capsular contractures (formation of hard scar tissue around the implants). The ID views are easiest to obtain in a women whose implants are placed underneath the chest muscle (sub-pectoral).