Traditional breast reconstruction procedures rely on foreign materials, such as implants, leading to a potentially high risk of infections, allergic reactions, and other complications. Breast flap surgery allows us to augment and reconstruct your breast using natural tissues drawn from another part of your body, ensuring completely natural and safe results.
Reconstruct your breasts with natural tissues derived from your body
No material is as safe and effective as natural tissues from your body. Dr. Khan avoids implant-based reconstruction because of the risk of breast implant illness, a condition where the use of implants leads to numerous systemic health problems and complications. Instead, he advocates using tissues drawn from the patient’s own body to create natural-looking and feeling breasts. He personalizes the procedure to ensure optimal safety and aesthetic results for the breasts and donor site.
What is breast flap surgery?
Breast flap surgery, also known as autologous flap reconstruction, is a surgical procedure that uses tissues drawn from the patient’s own body, such as the skin, soft tissues, and fat cells, to enhance the breast mound. The surgeon harvests tissues from the donor site, such as the buttocks, back, thighs, or abdomen, and transfers them to the breasts to make them look fuller and more natural. The procedure is personalized according to your desired goals and the location of the donor site.
Am I a suitable candidate for breast flap surgery?
You’re a suitable candidate for breast flap surgery if you want a natural-looking and feeling breast reconstruction. You can opt for breast flap surgery if you want to enhance your breasts without using implants or if you want breast reconstruction after your cancer journey. Dr. Khan will perform a thorough evaluation, discuss your goals, and review your health history to ensure you’re a good candidate for the procedure.
Benefits of breast flap surgery:
- Reconstruct the breasts using your natural tissues
- Avoid complications associated with breast implants
- No risk of implant rupturing or leakage
- No need for regular MRIs or breast implant exchanges
- No risk of breast implant illness
- Completely natural-looking and feeling results
- Improve the contours of the breast and the donor site
- Suitable for larger-sized breasts
- Suitable for patients undergoing radiation
- Improves overall self-esteem and confidence
Your personalized breast flap surgery journey in Michigan
Consultation
Breast flap surgery is a highly personalized procedure. Your journey starts with a thorough consultation with Dr. Khan. During the consultation, he will discuss your concerns and goals, understand your lifestyle, review your medical history, examine your breast mound, and identify the ideal locations for the donor site. The ideal donor sites are those with excess fat cells and tissues to spare — he will curate a personalized treatment plan after your consultation.
Surgery
- Deep Inferior Epigastric Artery Perforator (DIEP): The surgeon harvests the breast flap from the lower abdominal wall without disrupting the stomach mount. This procedure also reduces excess fat deposits and protrusion in the tummy.
- Profunda Artery Perforator (PAP): The surgeon harvests excess fat, skin, and tissues from the posterior thigh to sculpt the breasts. This is a free flap procedure that preserves all of your natural muscles in the donor site, so the recovery period is minimal.
- Gluteal Artery Perforator (GAP): The surgeon harvests excess fat cells, skin tissues, and other tissues from the upper buttocks and flanks. This technique is used if you can’t undergo a flap surgery using abdominal tissues — it preserves the muscles.
- Thoracodorsal Artery Perforator (TDAP): The surgeon harvests excess fat cells and skin tissues from the back to reconstruct the breast mound. The tissues are simply rotated to the front of the body, so there’s no need to re-establish a connection to blood vessels.
Recovery
You may have to spend a few nights at the surgical facility to ensure optimal recovery and healing. Depending on the type of reconstruction, you will have to rest for a few weeks. You must avoid strenuous workouts and activities for at least 4 to 6 weeks. The surgeon will also ask you to wear compression garments for a few weeks to reduce swelling. The results will become evident over several weeks and months as the side effects dissipate.
Why choose Dr. Khan?
Dr. Shaher Khan is a double board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, en bloc explant specialist, and breast implant illness advocate. He strictly avoids breast implants and offers autologous procedures to reconstruct breast mounds using naturally derived tissues. He also provides all the information you need to make an informed and educated decision about your surgery. Please schedule a consultation with Dr. Khan to explore your breast flap surgery options.
