|
|
|
Questions and Answers About Breast Cancer
- What is a breast form?
- A breast form is a prosthesis that is worn inside a bra or attached
to the skin with a special adhesive system to closely simulate the weight
and countours of a natural breast. It can be made from silicone, foam
or fiberfill.
-
- How many women wear breast forms?
- An estimated 80 percent of women who have had a mastectomy will choose
to wear an external breast form.
-
- Do breast forms come in different styles?
- Coloplast/Amoena offers several hundred different styles of breast
forms designed to meet the special needs associated with the various
types of breast surgeries. The following are the major types of breast
surgeries performed today:
-
-
 |
Partial
Mastectomy: Removal of one-quarter or more of the breast.
Lymph nodes under the arm may also be removed. |
|
Modified
Mastectomy: Removal of the entire breast along with adjacent
underarm lymph nodes. |
|
Simple
or Total Mastectomy: Removal of the entire breast. |
|
Radical
Mastectomy: Extensive removal of entire breast, lymph
nodes, and the chest wall muscles under the breast. This procedure
is rarely done now, but was common in the past. |
|
Lumpectomy:
Removal of only cancerous tissues and a rim of normal tissue. |
-
- I understand that there are different
breast forms for various surgeries, but why would a woman require a
breast form following a lumpectomy?
- A lumpectomy preserves as much as the surrounding breast tissue as
possible; however, the removal of the cancerous lump may cause a noticeable
difference in size from the normal breast. Coloplast offers products
to meet this need including Amoena's Balancia Triangle Shell and Balancia
Special.
-
- Does a woman need a breast form after
reconstruction?
- Some women experience a significant difference in size between breasts
following reconstruction and will wear a partial breast form, such as
the Balancia Shaper, to restore the natural balance and symmetry. Also,
reconstruction of the nipple usually takes place several months after
breast reconstruction to allow proper positioning (some women choose
not to have nipple reconstruction). Coloplast makes natural-looking
silicone nipples that can be used directly on the skin following reconstructive
surgery.
-
- How soon after a mastectomy can a woman
wear a breast form?
- As soon as a woman recieves permission from her physician, usually
four to six weeks after surgery, she can schedule an appointment to
be fitted with a weighted silicone breast form. However, Amoena makes
an extremely lightweight, fabric-covered fibrefill breast form called
the Priform that is ideal for wearing immediately after surgery.
-
- What is the advantage of a weighted
silicone breast form?
- Because the human body is essentially symmetrical, imbalance occurs
when a breast is removed causing one shoulder to drop downward and inward,
and the other to rise up. When the body is not properly aligned, back,
shoulder and neck discomfort can result. A weighted silicone breast
form will help restore natural balance by approximating the remaining
breast in weight and balance as well as in projection and width. A weighted
silicone breast form warms to a woman's body temperature and appears
smooth and natural under clothing. It also keeps the brassiere from
riding up or pulling to one side.
|
