Category: Plastic Surgery

Breast Reconstruction. Taking Control Despite the Risks and Complications

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Patients who chose breast reconstruction often feel they are taking control despite the risks and complications associated with the surgery. I hear comments from patients after having breast reconstruction who have encountered complications including, seromas, wound healing issues, hernias, multiple surgeries, and yet, are very happy with their decision to reconstruct their breasts. Many feel it gave them control. Why? It gave them the opportunity to rebuild a body part lost after being diagnosed with breast cancer or deciding on prophylactic surgery due to a genetic mutation. An article in the New York Times reported on complications after various types of breast reconstruction surgeries including both implants and numerous forms of autologous (using your own tissue) reconstruction. A multicenter cohort study referenced in the article in JAMA stated: Reconstruction may be associated with a high risk for complications, but successful reconstruction may still be achieved in most patients. Women electing Continue Reading →

Breast Reconstruction: Seromas Evaluation and Treatment

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We looked at the pre and post-operative assessment of seromas after breast reconstruction in a previous blog and video. Here, Drs. Minas Chrysopoulo and Ramon Garza III of PRMA in San Antonio explain to the viewer how to evaluate and treat a seroma if it occurs after breast reconstruction. Seromas form because of your body’s natural healing processes. Think of a wound you get on the outside of your body. The body produces fluid as part of the healing process. You see fluid as with a scraped knee or a burn. Imagine the wound on the inside of your body that forms because of surgery. Your body is going to produce fluid internally due to the trauma of surgery. This fluid must be managed. Dr. C, as his patients refer to him, explains a seroma can happen anywhere someone has surgery. In breast reconstruction this can be in the breast Continue Reading →

Breast Reconstruction: Seromas Pre and Post-Operative Assessment

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Breast Reconstruction: Seromas Pre and Post-Operative Assessment Breast reconstruction complications are possible as is the case with any surgery. A possible complication in breast reconstruction is the development of a seroma. Here we look at the pre and post-operative assessment of seromas after autologous or implant-based breast reconstruction. I speak to two ASPS board certified plastic surgeons from PRMA in San Antonio, Dr. Ramon Garza III and Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo. I feel fortunate to share this information with the reader. The video in the blog will give a detailed explanation of pre and post-operative assessment of seromas. You can subscribe to DiepCFoundation YouTube channel after watching the video for a variety of educational topics on breast reconstruction. Dr. Garza begins the discussion by explaining who might be more prone than others to complications such as seromas after breast reconstruction. It is important to point out that their practice at PRMA Continue Reading →

What Do Breast Cancer and BRCA Friends Share in Common?

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I know that Heather Barnard and I share a lot in common! We are both educators. Breast cancer has affected Heather and me. Heather and I have had a mastectomy. Heather and I had breast reconstruction. We both write blogs about our breast reconstruction experience. Finally, and most coincidentally, we had the same plastic surgeon perform our breast reconstruction. What makes our friendship unique? We have never met in person. Heather and I live over 9,000 miles apart. Our shared commonalities, however, have bridged those miles and made us friends. Her Twitter handle says it all, @expattravelmom. She teaches in Singapore and in her off time travels extensively with her husband and three great children. I had my DIEP flap breast reconstruction in December of 2014. Heather had a prophylactic mastectomy with immediate implant breast reconstruction in June of 2015. Dr. Chrysopoulo was our connection. Heather would message me asking Continue Reading →

Nipple Reconstruction after Mastectomy

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I am often asked about the process of nipple reconstruction after mastectomy at the time of breast reconstruction. I am grateful to Drs. Minas Chrysopoulo and Ramon Garza III of PRMA in San Antonio who took time to make the video. It can be viewed from this blog explaining the procedure. My own experience during my DIEP flap breast reconstruction was a skin sparring, nipple sparring mastectomy. My breast surgeon clearly explained how she was going to make every attempt to save my nipples during my mastectomy. She also was very forthright in telling me, based on tumor size and location, she may not be able to save my nipples. I felt fortunate she successfully saved my nipples at the time of my double mastectomy. This is not always the case for every woman or man who has a mastectomy. There are reasons nipples cannot be saved. There are also patients Continue Reading →

Surgical Loupes Used in Breast Reconstruction

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Sometimes we like to have fun at DiepCFoundation. This video about the surgical loupes used in breast reconstruction was one of those moments. Dr. Ramon Garza of PRMA in San Antonio was kind enough to bring his surgical loupes for me to try on. Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo, his team member at PRMA, looked on with amusement when I tried to focus while maneuvering my hands to appreciate the magnification. What I noticed most was adjusting to the depth perception while I had the surgical loupes on. Dr. Garza verified it takes a lot of training and hours spent in the operating room learning how to use the surgical loupes and the technical aspects of the surgery. He states the following: Good optics allow micro-surgeons to do what they do. The surgical loupes help to see very tiny, delicate structures. Function always overrides form in microsurgical breast reconstruction. The surgical loupes help Continue Reading →

How Breast Reconstruction Changed Me

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How breast reconstruction changed me is one survivor’s story. It is the topic of a recent video that was added to the DiepCFounation.org YouTube video channel. It was such an honor to meet and talk to Jan about her thoughts after being diagnosed with breast cancer and how choosing DIEP flap breast reconstruction allowed her to “conquer cancer”. Jan and I were Facebook friends for a while but never met in person. We finally had the opportunity after attending a fundraiser with other breast cancer survivors. We decided to spend the following day together getting to know each other. We met for coffee and the conversation began as it does with so many other women I meet who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. She spoke about her fears after being diagnosed and the impact it had on her life. We shared our stories and the conversation flowed easily. Jan Continue Reading →

Aesthetic Questions to Ask If Going Flat After Mastectomy

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Have you decided to go flat after having a mastectomy? This blog and video discuss aesthetic questions to ask if going flat after mastectomy. When a woman or man loses their breast to breast cancer they have choices whether to rebuild their breast or not. They can choose to go flat, or they can choose breast reconstruction. I had a mastectomy in May of 2014 and remained flat for seven months prior to having DIEP flap breast reconstruction. But there are many women and men who choose to remain flat after a mastectomy. I had the privilege of speaking to Drs. Minas Chrysopoulo of PRMA in San Antonio about this topic. They are both plastic surgeons who perform various kinds of plastic surgery, primarily autologous based breast reconstruction. The information they explain in this video and have personally done themselves, is achieving optimal aesthetic outcomes for patients who choose to Continue Reading →

ERAS Protocol Breast Reconstruction

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A little over a year ago I learned about ERAS protocol as it pertains to breast reconstruction from the plastic surgeon who performed my DIEP flap. ERAS, Enhanced Recovery after Surgery, protocol was not in place at the time I had breast reconstruction in December of 2014.  I wrote a blog about our conversation and what I learned. I have been reading several social media posts about ERAS and the benefits to patients. One study shared recently on Twitter states in the conclusion of the study: Conclusion: Enhanced recovery pathway program implementation should be considered as the standard approach for perioperative care in autologous tissue-based breast reconstruction because it does not affect morbidity and is associated with accelerated recovery with reduced postoperative opiate use and decreased length of hospital stay, leading to downstream health care cost savings.  ~ Journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons ERAS Protocol Benefits Observed I Continue Reading →

The Value of a 2nd Opinion for Breast Reconstruction

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The value of a 2nd opinion for breast reconstruction is fortunately something that has the potential to give women hope if they have been turned down at an initial consult for autologous breast reconstruction. I had the fortune to talk with two board certified microsurgeons, Dr. David Song of MedStar Georgetown and Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo of PRMA in San Antonio. Both plastic surgeons successfully and routinely perform a variety of autologous flap surgeries with great success. What is autologous breast reconstruction? Autologous breast reconstruction is using another area of the patient’s body using the tissue and underlying blood vessels to create a soft, warm, new breast after a mastectomy. Why are women sometimes turned down by plastic surgeons or told they are not good candidates for autologous breast reconstruction? Here are some of the reasons Dr. Song and Dr. Chrysopoulo mention in the video: Well trained colleagues in plastic surgery Continue Reading →