Is a Mammogram Safe After Breast Lift?

Yes, it is. However, you should be recovered fully after your surgery before you get a mammogram performed. If you have implants, you should also tell the technician about them as they can modify their techniques to accommodate the implants.

Hello!  Thank you for your question!  This a great question, which is often asked by patients.  There is no link to breast implants, either saline or silicone, and cancer.  All supporting literature has demonstrated this fact and no association with cancer, autoimmune disorders, or autoinflammatory disorders.  Yes - it is safe, and recommended, to continue with mammograms.  It is known that women are more in tune with their breasts and more diligent with examination and feeling/knowing the contour of her breasts, thus able to identify any abnormality sooner.  Imaging studies of the breasts are similar to imaging without breast implants and cancers are not hidden either by the presence of breast implants.  It is true that with breast implants do obscure a portion of the breast during imaging studies, but with the Eklund displacement views, which should be done when having mammograms with breast implants, there is minimal change.  You should remain proactive with your monthly self examination, annual clinical examination, and mammograms beginning at age 40 (unless family history, as directed by the Radiological Society), and annually thereafter.  If there is anything concerning on mammogram, other imaging modalities would be utilized, including ultrasound and/or MRI.  Best wishes!  Hope that this helps!

Mammograms are important and  there is no change in recommendations following a Breast lift with or without a breast augmentation with implants.

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).

 

Mammography is not only safe after breast enhancement surgery like breast augmentation, breast lifts and even breast reduction, it is recommended. Mammography is still one of the best tools available for the early detection of breast cancer. Most importantly, early detection means enhanced survival, usually with less intervention. Until a better test comes along, we are stuck with the squish test. Below is a link with more information from my San Francisco Plastic Surgery Blog.

In teh hands of a skilled technician you should not have a problem getting mammograms with or without implants.

A mammogram is safe for women with breast implants. It is vital for breast cancer screening for women after 40 and for women with a history of breast cancer in the family. We encourage women who have not had mammograms to have one prior to surgery so their a basis of comparison to future mammograms.

Mammography can still be performed with breast implants in place. Mammography technicians are trained to use specialized techniques for women with breast implants that help to image the breast tissue around the curved surface of the implants. Be sure to let the mammography provider know that you have breast implants when you schedule your mammogram.

It is not possible to obtain a mammogram by imaging through the implants, only around them. Breast implants therefore potentially do reduce a radiologist's ability to visualize breast tissue completely. This is more of a concern with implants placed immediately behind the breast ('sub-mammary', aka 'sub-glandular' position), so for that reason the sub-pectoral position is strongly preferred.

There is no conclusive evidence which shows that women with breast implants are diagnosed with breast cancer at a later stage than women without implants - which one would expect if breast implants actually delayed the detection of breast cancer. Likewise, women with breast implants do not appear to have a higher mortality rate from breast cancer compared to women without breast implants. Breast implants do not obscure or interfere with patient self-examination or physician breast examination, which are at least as important as (if not more important than) mammography for breast cancer screening.

Mammography is currently the recommended mass screening test for breast cancer, but it has significant limitations due to a high number of false positives (which leads to biopsies when no cancer is actually present) and false negatives (which means a cancer is missed when it is present). The most sensitive and specific radiologic test for breast cancer is a contrast-enhanced MRI scan, which refers to an MRI that is enhanced by the administration of an intravenous 'contrast' agent. The contrast agent helps to 'light up' a breast cancer on the MRI scan when one is present. Breast implants do not interfere with breast MRI scanning in any way.

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.

Not only are mammograms safe after cosmetic breast surgery(lift or aug or both) they are needed to provide long term surveillance for breast cancer in all women of all ages.  It is best to get a mammogram within several weeks or a few  months before  your surgery so that the next  routine annual study will be required several months after the surgery has healed.