Plastic Surgeon says NO Implants?!

I am so disappointed today. My plastic surgeon says no to implants!!! I had lumpectomy a few weeks ago and was waiting for surgeon to schedule me for reconstruction before radiation. I said I was planning on having implants because after weight loss I have gone from 42DD to 36 B/C. (mind u even when I was this weight years ago the smallest on top I ever was..was a 38 DD)
The Surgeon said that implants never look good after WSL???? I can understand waiting after radiation if that is what he would prefer to do for the lift and to make my breasts even, but why no implants? By the time he does the lift and Reconstruction...I will be lucky to just have nipples!!!

Has anyone out there had Reconstruction using your own tissue?  I definitely have some tissue on my stomach they can use to reconstruct.(im pretty flabby there) Has anyone had reconstruction with implants with radiation before or after the cancer therapy? Any advice,experiences or online resources would be greatly appreciated. I go to plastic surgeon on Thursday to make my final decision. After radiation my options will be limited.......    Sharon

I think lots of folks have had implants. Maybe he just isn't very good at it?

Did you try the PS forum?

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/plasticsurgery/a,messageboard/board_id,4861/

Unfortunately I too have the same situation. I saw 2 surgeons regarding it because I too thought maybe the first one wasn't up to it. But sadly the second one said the same thing. It is because radiated skin doesn't hold up well to the surgery, the skin isn't strong enough. I wish I'd know that before hand because I would have had a mastectomy instead of a lumpectomy. They made it sound like they were doing me a big favor by saving me from a more invasive surgery but I would much rather have had a total mastectomy and later an implant. I did have some reconstructive surgery on the other side to "kinda" even them up but even that is ugly. So I guess we could start an ugly tits club but otherwise I think we're stuck with what we have.

I too, thought I was lucky to save part of my breast....now I'm finding my options are worse than if I had a total masectomy! I have seen women with both breasts removed and reconstructed that look really good. Me on the other hand...Im going to be left with mutated breasts the size of walnuts!! So.....I guess I am going to be a lifetime member of the Ugly Tits Club!!!

 awww .... ive seen  breasts made from Ur own fat  that are beautiful and VERY  VERY natural looking andfeeling - personally thatswhat Id choose voluntarily .   No half- softballs for me siting on my ribcage lol !  

as for the skin issue Im not totally sure about that  ... but I think there are things U can do to help  Ur skin thicken  and firm up 

I can't say exactly why he won't do it, but I can tell you what I was told my the technician that did my mammogram last week told me. I mentioned that I was going to have wls soon, and that after I reached goal, I wanted to have my breasts lifted and maybe have implants (depending how much  I lost in the breasts). She told me that if you have implants it will be impossible to have mammograms any more due to the density of the implants. Now since you are already having issues with your breasts, perhaps they want to be able to contimue to do mammograms on you to make sure no new issues occur in the years to come.

Just a hypothesis.
 
Keep us posted.

Regarding breast implants and mammograms, I got this from Mayo Clinic's website: 

"Breast implants can obscure the mammogram images, decreasing the ability of mammograms to reveal breast cancer. Still, studies show that mammograms are an effective way to screen for breast cancer in women with breast implants.

If you have breast implants, you can take steps to make your mammogram more successful, such as:

• Find a facility that sees many women with breast implants. Ask your doctor for a referral to a clinic whose radiologists have experience reading mammograms of women with breast implants. Ask the clinic about their experience when you make your appointment.
• Speak up about your breast implants at your appointment. When you make your appointment and again when you arrive at your appointment, tell the staff that you have breast implants.

There's a slight risk that your breast implants may rupture during a mammogram. But the benefits of mammography in the early detection of breast cancer outweigh this risk."

Regarding lumpectomy and later plastic surgery, I wish more doctors would be upfront about the after effects and give us ALL options.  Let us make some of the decisions.

 

 I'm sorry that you feel that big breasts are part of who you are.  After losing all my weight, I'd be happy just to have them back up where they belong.  Try to think of just having them nice and small and perky.  You probably won't even need a bra!  Every cloud has a silver lining.

I am having my breasts done in 2 stages. My plastic surgeon does this for us WLS patients with long folds. He says the implants stay up higher. I just had my lift and he ways I can get implants in 6 months. I have pics on my profile, if interested. I was a 34DDD before the lift (all skin) and I think I'll be a b or c cup when the swelling goes down.

Laura

Implants cause a whole host of other problems and often have to be removed.  If having reconstruction using your own belly fat is an option, I would consider that.

I had lumpectomy on both breasts.  I may or may not have reconstruction when I can.  My skin held up really good during radiation, but plastic surgery of any kind scares me to death.