Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
In the past, diagnosing breast cancer meant that a woman would most likely lose her breast or part of her breast and be left with nothing but a debilitating scar. Even though the operations are lifesaving, they can result in long-term pain. Deformities can be difficult to conceal and make some woman self-conscious and lower her self-esteem, but with the new development of oncoplastic techniques, surgeons that have been properly trained in this surgical modalities can achieve results that are minimally noticeable with scars that do not cause interference with normal daily activities.
Dr. Perez Soto, board certified in general surgery, specializes in robotic hernia repair, complex abdominal wall reconstruction, and gallbladder surgery. Another special technique that Dr. Perez-Soto uses that many patients may not know is oncoplastic techniques for breast cancer surgery.
Oncoplastic Breast Surgery combines the techniques of traditional breast cancer surgery with the cosmetic advantages of plastic surgery. The goal is to remove the cancer while minimizing the unwanted effects of surgery, helping patients heal both physically and emotionally.
“Without these techniques, scars could attach to the muscles of the chest that aid in arm movement and this can cause severe discomfort and an unsightly appearance,” Dr. Perez-Soto explains.
Some of the techniques used for lumpectomies, or partial removal of the breast, include hiding the incisions in natural creases, mobilizing breast tissue to avoid adherence of the skin to the muscle, and implants that provide added volume were the breast tissue has been removed. The non-affected breast can also be lifted, reduced and made similar in size and shape to the affected breast. Most insurances will cover this surgery.
There are other advanced techniques that Dr. Perez-Soto performs in combination with Board Certified plastic surgeons that preserve the skin of the breast as well as the nipple while removing most of the breast tissue. This is then followed by a breast implant by the plastic surgeon mainly for patients that need removal of the whole breast, or mastectomy.
One of Dr. Perez-Soto’s patients was very diligent with her mammogram screening and was diagnosed with an early type of breast carcinoma that, fortunately, was
small and curable. She had a lumpectomy with oncoplastic reconstruction and a small part of her breast removed with a scar that is barely visible.
“This patient had tissue inside her breast moved around and a small implant that absorbs over time was placed to mark the area of the tumor. This provided a scaffold for her scar tissue to fill the empty space left by removing the tissue of the breast. I can happily state she has fully recovered from her surgery. The almost invisible scar is healing and will continue to keep healing,” Dr. Perez-Soto explains.
Although the thought of surgery for breast cancer can be a challenging and frightful experience for patients, having a kind and trustworthy, skilled surgeon such as Dr. Perez-Soto can make any life-saving procedure easy to bounce back to being a healthy, confident woman.
Dr. Yaritza Perez Soto is located at Physicians Regional – Gulfview General Surgery, 11181 Health Park Boulevard, Suite 3050, Naples FL 34110. To schedule an appointment with her, please call 239-348-4221 or visit PhysiciansRegionalMedicalGroup.com.
