Direct-To-Implant Breast Reconstruction

In traditional implant-based breast reconstruction, a surgeon will place a tissue expander beneath your chest wall, which expands the skin so implants can be placed. Every week or so, your surgeon will fill the expander with sterile saline solution through a small port that is left in place. This periodic stretching of the skin creates the pocket that will eventually hold your saline or silicone breast implant. This method allows you to ultimately choose your breast size, and may be necessary depending on your chemotherapy or radiation schedule.

Direct-to-implant reconstruction skips the tissue expansion step and instead goes straight to the implant. Also called a one-stage or single-stage breast reconstruction, this procedure involves placing the breast implant in the same surgery as the mastectomy. In doing so, you avoid weeks or months of repeated visits to the operating room, allowing you to get back to your life more quickly.

In this procedure, one of our experienced Denver breast reconstruction surgeons steps in as soon as your general surgeon has completed the mastectomy. The implant is placed immediately, and you leave the hospital with your new reconstructed breast.

During your one-on-one breast reconstruction consultation, your plastic surgeon will discuss whether you are a good candidate for this technique. The ideal candidate for one-stage breast reconstruction:

• Has smaller breasts that do not require tissue expansion
• Does not have a history of radiation to the breast or to the chest wall
• Is undergoing a prophylactic mastectomy

Your medical history and the nature of your breast cancer also play a major role in establishing your candidacy for this procedure. We’ll discuss all of your breast reconstruction options during your consultation at our Park Meadows office.