Should I request additional appointments if I have no feeling in my breast 5 years after surgery?

If one has diminished feeling in the breast five years following surgery, it is unlikely that sensation will completely return as a was preoperatively. It still may improve but it is unusual for it to go back to normal. There are other reasons to have your breasts examined, obviously for early cancer detection being the most important. Other reasons would be to detect implant rupture if one has silicone gel implants in particular. Saline ruptures are usually pretty obvious. Your surgeon can detail to you the FDA recommendations depending on the type of implants that you have. Self exam is also important in detection of early cancers in addition to screening imaging as recommended by your physicians. It is also important to know that if sensation does not detect heat, one must be very careful to avoid burning the skin with hot objects such as stoves or curling irons.

Dear MMHP17,
numbness is very common. It depends on the operation but often times sensation can return in a couple of weeks, a year, or not at all. Nipple sensation itself is very important and can sometimes be lost with breast surgery. This is often mentioned in the risks of the consent process. I imagine your numbness is just temporary although I would have to examine you.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery