For the last 40 years, tissue expanders were deflated breast implants with ports built into them. Surgeons added saline to them progressively stretching the skin and muscle to “make room” for a breast implant. This requires weekly trips to see your surgeon, so they can fill the implant with silicon.
The new AeroForm® expander uses compressed air to fill the expander. The patient puts the handheld unit you see in the picture over the implant which is under their skin and pushes the button. This delivers 3 cc of air into the expander. The patient does this every day and avoids weekly trips to the doctor’s office. It also prevents you from adding too much or overfilling.
It is something that we hope catches on, but right now, it takes the right patient to use it correctly.
To see how Dr. Frank’s approach to tissue expanders can encourage optimal breast reconstruction results, schedule a consultation today.
