Approximately 1.6 million breast biopsies are performed annually in the United States each year. About 20% result in a cancer diagnosis which requires further therapy, and many of those will eventually have breast reconstruction by a plastic surgeon.
However, 80% (about 1.3 million) with cancer negative biopsies will be left with some degree of undesirable depression, divot, scarring, or sunken loss of fullness in the area of the biopsy, but are not referred for repair of the disfigurement because, after all, “You didn’t have cancer.” Dr. Rodriguez believes that patients with negative biopsies deserve as much attention to restoring a more normal breast appearance as what cancer patients receive
Dr. Rodriguez uses fat transplantation to restore your breast to a more normal appearance, volume, contour, and fullness. An adequate amount of fat is harvested from an area where you will not miss it, such as the flanks or thighs, and then carefully injected into the area of the biopsy deformity. Because the harvested fat cells contain stem cells that repair damaged tissue, the scar at the biopsy site often improves after Dr. Rodriguez’ breast biopsy repair with fat.
A normal mammogram is required to ensure that there are no suspicious areas in the breast that may require further biopsy. The patient should be in good physical condition and not on any chemotherapy medications that may impair good wound healing.