Cancer Survivors Utilize Saline, Silicone Implants to Feel Whole

More and more women are surviving the pain and suffering associated with hours of chemotherapy and the battle against breast cancer.  Wonderful advances in the field of oncology are helping doctors help their patients live well past their life expectancies.  Many patients would not have survived ten years ago.  However, the battle does not end after the cancer goes into remission.

Survivors must struggle to regain control of their lives and their bodies.  The chemotherapy can cause patients to dramatically lose weight and the spread of the cancer may require single or double mastectomies.  This loss makes most women feel “unwhole.”  Luckily, they have the option of getting breast implants to replace those lost.

Oftentimes, the implants can actually be created, using the patient’s own excess fat and skin.  The doctor will create a “tissue flap,” in this instance.  Silicone, saline, and gel implants can be used.  The newest gel implant is still being studied, but it will have a consistency, which some have compared to a gummy bear.   This will create a more natural look and prevent leakage.

Often the nipple is reconstructed using the patient’s natural tissue.  It can be grafted from another part of the body and grown on the new breast’s surface.  The new nipple will even have a sense of tactile feeling.

If you are a breast cancer survivor, left without one or both of your breasts, there is hope.  Contact a plastic surgeon today to see what options are available to you.