Do Breast Implants Complicate Breast Exams?

[x]   Tags: breast implants, breast augmentation after, breast implant complications, breast implants mammogram, breast implants cancer, breast health, breasts, womens health, cancer, cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery, Health, Health Video, Medical Videos, Medical, Video

[x]   Transcript: Breast augmentation is the most common cosmetic plastic surgery procedure among women in the United States...but many women wonder, 'Will enlarging my breasts make it harder to find cancer?' First, some uplifting news: When caught early, the five-year survival rate of breast cancer is 98%, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Breast self-exam, clinical breast exam, and mammography screening are the three methods currently used for such early detection, and that's also true for women who've undergone breast augmentation. In fact, there is some evidence that breast implants make physical examination of the breast MORE effective. That's because implants push breast tissue outward and push breast tissue outward, which may make it easier to feel masses and lumps. Getting your clinical breast exams from a gynecologist who is familiar with breast implants can help. Your surgeon can also help you feel your implant, so you know what to expect during a breast self-exam. Unfortunately, breast augmentation may make it harder for a doctor to perform a mammogram, especially if the implants are large, under the gland and over the muscle and stretching your tissues. This is also true in the presence of capsular contracture, which can cause scar tissue around the implant and hardening of the breast. Implants are also less malleable than real breast tissue, which can make it difficult to compress the breast fully during a mammogram. Ultrasound or MRI may be performed to additionally view the implanted breast if mammogram views are limited. For this reason, doctors rely on the Eklund technique which, during mammogram, pushes the implant back, moving the breast tissue forward. There is only a very small risk of implant rupture with mammography because implants are built and tested to wish stand this amount of compression. If you can, pick a mammographer who is very familiar with screening augmented breasts. If you're interested in accentuating your figure with plastic surgery, know that breast cancer rates are no higher among women with breast implants than among those without them. Just make sure to discuss breast cancer screening with your doctor before you enter the operating room!

[x]   Bio: Dr. Jennifer Walden is one of a relatively small number of female plastic surgeons in New York City, certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and fellowship-trained in cosmetic surgery. She is very interested in women's health issues as they relate to plastic surgery and breast health.

Dr. Walden is currently an Attending in Plastic Surgery at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat and Lenox Hill Hospitals, and has the academic appointment of Clinical Instructor of Surgery (Plastic Surgery) at New York University Langone Medical Center. She is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. She currently serves as Program Director of the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital's Aesthetic Surgery Fellowship, one of the foremost training programs of cosmetic surgery in the nation.

A regular in the media, Dr. Walden's appeared on national news outlets such as Fox News Channel and E! TV's Dr. 90210, ABC's 20/20 and CBS's The Early Show. Her comments have also appeared in Vogue, Cosmopolitan and The New York Sun.

A native Texan, Dr. Walden received her undergraduate education at the University of Texas at Austin, graduating with Honors with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology. She then went on to receive her Medical Doctorate with Highest Honors, graduating as the Salutatorian at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Visit her website: http://www.drjenniferwalden.com