Questions...

[studentmommy]

I had my first consult yesterday (with a female PS in the Chicagoland area). It went well. She seems knowledgable, she noticed assymetries in my chest wall and breast width that I didn't even notice! I did like her pain management and recovery techniques, which included massage therapy (manual lymphatic drainage, I believe it's called), a long lasting local anesthetic is injected (I guess) into the tissues during surgery. She also uses drains that are removed after a few days to reduce fluid accumulating. She claimed that her patients report feeling little to no pain post-op.

I found her prices to be very expensive. I am curious if it's due to these techniques? Are these techniques common practice among other plastic surgeons in the area?

I DO plan to consult with your office in a few months. I just stopped breastfeeding in mid-July and have about 10-15lbs of baby weight to lose...so we'll see how much tissue I'm left with after that, I figure by that point it will be easier to get an idea of sizes, etc.

Any information would be great!

[Dr. Pelletiere]

First, I am sorry about the delayed response. I was on a non-technology break for a few days. Second, I am not sure why your surgeon is charging so much. Some surgeons think that they can charge more based on location or having a name that is well known (i.e lots of advertising, etc.)The techniques that you have described are nothing new or unusual. In actuality, I do not even use the drains - right before the implants go in, the pocket space should be completely dry. When I do the surgery, there is no fluid to drain afterwards. Drains are a potential source of bacteria since you have something going from the outside world to the inside right up against a forein device ( the implant). In my mind, there should be no need for them.

In terms of breast feeding, I ask people to wait a month or two after stopping before they plan any surgery. It takes a few months for the breasts to change back once you have stopped. In terms of weight loss or gain, it just depends. If you gain or lose weight in your breasts with weight changes, then it is nice to be at your desired weight before surgery. If they do not change much with weight changes, then it could be done at any time.

If you have any other questions, feel free to post here, email us ( address below), or call us.