The original technique for breast reconstruction, as described by one of my mentors (Randall H. Guthrie, MD), involved the creation of a pre-pectoral pocket. In other words, after the mastectomy and during the reconstruction, the breast implant was placed in the space above the muscle and below the skin. Many surgeons, however, were uncomfortable with […]

The current issue of the journal JAMA Surgery has 3 interesting articles regarding breast reconstruction. Two of the articles compare the differences between autologous breast reconstruction (using the patient’s own tissues) and implant-based reconstruction. (Santosa, KB, et. al. JAMA Surg. 2018;153(10):891-899 and Bennett, KG, et. al. Jama Surg. 2018;153(10): 901-908 ) The article by Dr. […]

The issue of surveillance for breast cancer is an important one and understandably of concern to patients and their physicians. The literature indicates that woman who have undergone augmentation mammoplasty do not run a higher risk of breast cancer or present at a later stage. Nevertheless, many surgeons recommend the subpectoral placement of breast implants […]

When it comes to breast implants there is a new player in town. The Ideal Implant (idealimplant.com) is a saline implant that has the feel of silicone. The implant has two separate lumens or chambers. The inner lumen contains most of the saline and its volume is not adjustable. The outer lumen which is the […]

Fat injections or lipofilling is a new and promising technique for both breast reconstruction and breast augmentation. One of the serious concerns is that the presence of stem cells in the transferred fat would stimulate the growth of abnormal cells resulting in a higher incidence of both recurrent and new breast cancers. This fear does […]

In the March issue of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal, Drs. Al-Ajam, Marsh, Mohan and Hamilton from the Royal Free Hospital in London published an interesting article comparing the results between two different shaped breast implants in woman undergoing aesthetic breast augmentation. One type was the round implant which is the traditional style that has been […]

Although silicone breast implants have gone through rigorous testing and scrutiny from the FDA and have subsequently been found to be a safe and reliable tool for breast augmentation and breast reconstruction, they have been unable to totally shake that negative reputation (unjustified, in my opinion) from the past. In reality, the silicone implants that […]