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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.
