Is plastic surgery more than a breast augmentation?
When you think of plastic surgery, you may imagine someone getting a breast augmentation, or maybe even think about celebrities who’ve undergone the knife in attempts to defy the aging process. Tummy tuck, face lift, nose job – the list goes on.
But plastic surgery isn’t all about celebrities and boob jobs.
Health issues such as breast cancer or carrying the breast cancer gene (BRCA 1, BRCA 2) are some of the most common health related reasons for seeing a plastic surgeon.
Some of you may remember Melissa Ray – our awesome BRCA+ patient who bravely allowed us into the operating room during her preventative mastectomy and DIEP flap breast reconstruction last October.
Melissa is one of the growing number of women across the US opting to take preventative measures to reduce the risk of breast cancer.
And she’s back at PRMA this week for her second stage of DIEP reconstruction – revisions.
Before heading into surgery with Dr. Chrysopoulo, Melissa took a few minutes to chat with us about her experiences so far. Here’s what she had to say:
I feel great about my decision to have preventative mastectomies and reconstruction. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and that I’ve done everything I can to prevent breast cancer.
Some advice I can give to others considering this type of surgery is to do your research. Find out all the options available to you and make the best choice for you. Luckily, we do have so many options available, but surgery is a major life decision. It will be challenging and require emotional, spiritual and physical strength and courage, but it’s worth it!
I have had the best experience with PRMA and Dr. C. I don’t think I’ve ever received so much attention from a doctor’s office and I don’t even live in San Antonio! During my recovery, I spoke to Denise (Dr. C’s nurse) on a daily basis. I had full faith in Dr. C going into my surgery and I never felt like he was pushing me in one direction or another.
Traveling to PRMA and having Dr. C’s expertise with this type of surgery made it worth the travel. It was challenging because I have two small children, but it was also a very positive thing because I was able to focus completely on resting, healing and walking. Living in a hotel was not as comfortable as home, but I rented a recliner and it was very comfortable. Given the results I have, traveling was not as hard as I thought it would be.
I have no regrets at all!
Author: Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo and Brandy (Korman) Haslam
I feel great about my decision to have preventative mastectomies and reconstruction. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and that I’ve done everything I can to prevent breast cancer.
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