For women who are experiencing discomfort from their implants,
Natural tissue reconstruction can still be performed months, years, or even decades after a mastectomy. Some women who initially had implant reconstruction may choose to convert to a natural tissue reconstruction over time.
There are several reasons for converting from implant to natural tissue for breast reconstruction. Some women experience problems with implants, including capsular contracture (hardening of the implant), animation (movement of the implant during muscle contraction), and pain or discomfort related to the implant’s position. Although adjusting the implant placement or replacing implants may help address these issues, many women prefer to move away from implants altogether.
Some women choose to convert from implant to natural tissue reconstruction when their implants have aged and need to be replaced. Natural tissue procedures last a lifetime and do not generally require additional surgeries after the reconstruction process is complete. When implants need to be replaced, some women will elect to have a natural tissue procedure instead.
Finally, some women become uncomfortable with the idea of a foreign object in their body. This could be due to fear or problems with an implant rupturing or leaking or due to concerns with BIA-ALCL, which has been linked to certain kinds of textured implants.
Any typical donor site, including the abdomen, thigh, buttock, lumbar region, and back, can be used to convert to natural tissue breast reconstruction.
Pain that is related to the implant often resolves with the switch to a natural tissue breast reconstruction. However, pain related to the mastectomy and cut nerves may not resolve. In addition, there is always a small risk of new pain after any surgery.
The recovery will involve healing at an additional surgical site (the donor site for the tissue flap). Otherwise, the recovery process from a conversion to natural tissue is comparable to the recovery expected from a natural tissue procedure.
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