Short clinical guidance by Dr. Robert Whitfield discussing when a breast explant patient may also need a mastopexy (lift). Uses a patient case to explain decision factors (implant size, original incision location, excess skin) and compares incision options to minimize visible scarring while allowing complete capsule removal.
Do breast explant surgery patients also need a lift? All right. So I get asked all the time, is a lift mandatory? And of course, it's not basically what I try to do. For each and every patient, we'll say, for instance, I had a patient come from New York recently. Very small framed patient implants were kind of, as most of my patients who are low bmi, desire was to give them a more feminine appearance. Initially, when they got a breast augmentation, they were never discussed other options like a fat transfer and. Or a smaller device. So they have a device typically between 3 and 400 cc's. And so in this particular patient, it was through an axillary approach. So the traditional types of incisions were through the armpit, under the breast, around the areola, and through the belly button. So I predominantly focused on under the breast because it was the safest, provided the most control, had the least amount of complications. So in this particular patient of mine, the placement was through the armpit, so there's no scar. And I can't take the patient's implants out through the armpit because I cannot go through the armpit and get all the capsular material out, all the scar out. And so I either have to go under the breast or in this instance, I discussed with the patient tightening up her skin so that reduced the amount of excess skin at one time. And then using that periareolar scar or a scar around the circle, a donut lift to go through that to help get the device out and leave no scar on the. The bottom third of the breast or under the breast. So less visible scarring for.
