The DIEP flap is the accepted “gold standard” in Breast Reconstruction. Whilst there are circumstances in which a DIEP is the wrong procedure for some patients, lets look at why it is the BEST procedure for many women. The benefits of the DIEP flap are many and varied. Obviously, the goal of any breast reconstruction is to recreate the shape of a breast. Implants and autologous tissue reconstruction will both achieve this goal to some extent. But that is where the similarities end for many patients. Perhaps the greatest benefit of the use of DIEP flap (compared to an implant) relates to the fact that it feels just like a breast should, as well as looking like one. Whereas an implant feels cold and firmer than a normal breast and there may be rippling or palpable edges, the fat from the lower abdomen which is harvested with the DIEP flap has a feel very similar to that of a normal breast. It is soft, warm and malleable. The reconstructed breast will fill a bra the same way as the patient’s other breast. The DIEP flap can be lifted and modified at the same time as the patient undergoes a mastopexy … Continue reading The Breast Reconstruction Series #6