After a long road of fighting, they beat the disease and regained a piece of their quality of life with breast reconstruction. Two patients of Dr. Petra Scheffer, Chief Physician for Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, report.
It was in May 2016 when Petra Braun was diagnosed with breast cancer. A malignant tumor had formed in her left breast and had already invaded the surrounding tissue. It was located in the mammary glands and had already spread to the ducts leading to the nipple. As a result, the entire left breast had to be removed.
Removing the entire breast is not necessarily common. With other forms of tumor, a part can often be preserved. Not so with Petra Braun "I thought to myself: Ok, if that has to be. Better to have the breast gone and the cancer with it than to be sick on," she recalls. She thought she would get used to living with only one breast. But that was not the case. She only got her full quality of life back after the breast reconstruction.
"Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in Germany. Many women undergo breast-conserving therapy, but there are still medical reasons to remove a breast completely. The psychological effects are numerous. The cancer itself alone, but also the operation, of course, always leaves traces. That is why many of those affected wish to have a breast reconstruction over time," explains Dr. Petra Scheffer, chief physician for plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery at the Sportklinik Hellersen and a specialist in the field.
After the relief came the feeling of loss
It was the same for Petra Braun. Initially, the relief of being healthy again overshadowed the loss. But as she got better after chemo therapy, she realized she was missing her left breast. And over time, that feeling grew stronger. "Over the years, it bothered me more and more," she says.
After her breast removal, she had been given a special bra to conceal the fact that her breast had been removed. But she wasn't really happy with it, so she hardly ever put it on. "My husband said to me, 'I like you the way you are.' That's nice to hear, but I didn't feel comfortable myself, didn't like myself and felt incomplete," she describes. That was also the reason why in 2020 she decided to have a breast reconstruction by implanting a prosthesis. A decisive criterion for her was that she had found a specialist for breast reconstruction after cancer in her vicinity in Dr. Petra Scheffer.
During the operation, Dr. Petra Scheffer opened the scar from the tumor removal and inserted a silicone cushion. In order to make the breasts look even, the surgeon also smoothed out the right breast and tightened it a little.
A decision for myself and not for others
There are several breast reconstruction options. "This depends on whether the breast was completely removed or part of it was removed. With complete removal, the augmentation is done either with the patient's own soft tissue skin mantle from another part of the body, such as the abdomen, inner thigh, buttocks or back. The other option is the implantation of a silicone prosthesis," explains Dr. Petra Scheffer. In the case of a partial breast removal, the breast is usually reshaped at the same time, but a volume deficit or dent remains compared to the other side. "Here, either an implant can also create the volume balance or one uses one's own fatty tissue that is suctioned from another part of the body and fills up the breast again with this. This is called lipofilling. Each method has its own advantages, disadvantages and limitations," adds the chief physician.
"I think it's good that there are such possibilities. It's already a foreign feeling. The silicone breast is a bit harder than your own. And the skin tightens more over the breast. But I feel much more comfortable and complete than without. I wish the same for other patients. Now I no longer have to hide. Even though I only had this operation for myself and not for others," she sums up. A piece of quality of life has returned.
Lipofilling: Another option for breast reconstruction
Dr. Petra Scheffer has experienced time and again that Petra Braun is not alone in this feeling. Often even earlier. As was the case with Jasmin M. "In rehab, I was confronted with the topic of breast reconstruction for the first time. The women there had already had breast reconstruction and I was often asked why I was waiting. What impressed me most at the time was that the women were so happy with their bodies while I was still processing the loss of my breast. I wish I could have accepted my body like that back then. Of course, one is happy that the cancer has been beaten. Still, something seemed missing to me, not yet healed. I can't explain it to myself, but it was only after the breast reconstruction that I felt really healthy again," she describes.
She had also initially opted for an implant. A year after the tumor was removed, it was inserted at the clinic where the tumor treatment took place. However, her body had rejected the implant. After that, the breast had to heal first and she had time to find out what breast reconstruction options were still available. After several consultations, she decided on lipofilling. A plastic surgeon with whom she had previously undergone treatment recommended Dr. Petra Scheffer for this.
"With lipofilling, you can't inject too much fatty tissue into one spot. And too much pressure must not be exerted on the living fat cells, so the volume that can be inserted is limited," the chief physician explains.In addition, 75 to 80 percent of the grafted fat will grow if the correct harvesting technique is mastered. The limited amount often means three surgeries are necessary. "It's different with an implant. Here, only one surgery is necessary. But the big advantage of lipofilling: the body does not reject its own fat," Dr. Petra Scheffer summarizes the facts.
The scar of the tumor removal felt more pleasant after lipofilling, feels Jasmin M. "The surgical scar of the tumor removal was wiry and bulging. The autologous fat has gradually softened it and it no longer stands out so much. I am very happy with the result and would do it again anytime," she explains.
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