Dr. Daniel Calva on Breast Reconstruction

Breast cancer is one of the most feared conditions amongst women of over 50 years of age. Over their lifetime, 1 in every 8 females will be a subject to some type of invasive breast cancer which translates to 12% of the entire population. The condition often requires surgical procedures such as unilateral or bilateral mastectomies that involve the removal of breast tissue and lymph nodes. Afterwards, however, most females decide to undergo further operations to bring back the natural look and appeal to their breast’s.

One of the most popular methods to achieve this is called breast reconstruction. Fortunately, there are experts like Dr. Daniel Calva, an inducted Fellow of The American College of Surgeons, who are highly trained to do nipple and areola-sparing maneuvers. The obvious benefit of this approach is the reduced impact of the mastectomy as the nipple and areola will be preserved. This further minimizes the scope of reconstruction that is imminent since the size and shape of the breast will be the only area of concern.

During the past decade, Hollywood has seen many celebrities fall victim to the breast cancer. These include Cynthia Nixon, Sheryl Crow, and Suzanne Somers who all endured various presentations of the condition that
required them to undergo invasive treatment. Consequently, the breast reconstruction surgeries are becoming more common around the Los Angeles area where a lot of Hollywood-based stars reside. So, what does a typical endeavor of this nature look like from the beginning to the end?

In the words of an expert, Dr. Daniel Calva, everything begins with an evaluation. This stage is utilized to do a breast MRI scan that will showcase the extent of work that must be accomplished. The next step is to decide if implants will be used as a means to an end, or if the entire reconstruction will be done without implants. If the entire reconstruction will be done without implants, the next step is to size the patient for a custom-made
Brava like external tissue expander. Doctors apply this tool to increase the size of the breast as much as possible before having to go through fat grafting, in which fat grafts are obtained through liposuction. As far as the blueprint timeline, there will generally be none since every patient is different. Some females might necessitate a minor liposuction with a minimum incision after wearing the Brava expander for a few weeks. Others, however, may prove unresponsive to the Brava expander growth stimuli, which will mean the liposuction and fat graft will be addressed more aggressively. This is especially true if the patient has had radiation, which makes the tissues more difficult to reconstruct. Regardless, from the time someone meets with their plastic surgeon to the time they have completely reconstructed breast’s, it might take 2 weeks to a month. This is why numerous actresses from Hollywood have been able to pursue their careers while obtaining this treatment simultaneously.

The demand for breast reconstruction does not only come from previous victims of breast cancer. Females who are simply looking to fight asymmetry, undesired shape of their breast, and loose skin will often turn to some extent of breast reconstruction. According to Dr. Daniel Calva, patients who are concerned with the natural feel and appearance should always take advantage of fat grafting. Obviously, having one's own fat cells used to increase the size of the breast will be more tangible than enforcing a silicone implant. Furthermore, the complications of transporting the fat tissue from somewhere else in the body are nowhere near as stringent as the complications that can arise from an implant. After all, it was not too long ago that Hollywood witnessed Vivica Fox and Bethenny Frankel go through their struggles with misshaped implants.

Women who make the decision to endure a surgical procedure to improve the appearance of their breasts, whether it is cosmetically-oriented or breast cancer-driven, tend to be focused on the ultimate result. This is why issues related to the incision size and placing can be detrimental to the overall satisfaction. During a liposuction that shifts fat into the breast region, the incision can be made at a couple of different places that remain masked. If the patient has been through an areola-sparing treatment, for example, the incision can be placed in a circular fashion on the areola itself. The scar will, in turn, be hidden by a bra or swimsuit as well as the darker tone of this area. Other incisions may come from below the breast which will be hidden under the weight of it. Some alternatives even place the incision under the armpit, a procedure known as the transaxillary endoscopic breast augmentation, which will make it very difficult to correlate with any breast-related surgery. Though it sounds like a stretch, Hollywood has witnessed celebrities like Christina Aguilera who went through the latter route.