AeroForm expanders: Revolutionizing breast reconstruction

Getting breast implants after a mastectomy is an emotional process. Preparing your body for the implants can also be an arduous task. It can involve weekly doctor’s visits, needles, saline and an often uncomfortable process. However, new technology has changed the landscape for many women. There’s now an option that eases the stress for breast cancer survivors and gives them the opportunity to play an active role in the healing process.

With the AeroForm tissue expander system, patients use a remote-control device that communicates with expanders in their body through Bluetooth-like technology. This gives the patient the choice to expand their breast tissue anytime and anywhere with up to three puffs of air a day with a few hours in between. With one press of a remote control, the patient releases a dose of 10cc of carbon dioxide. This gradually expands the breasts over time.

READ MORE: Tips on supporting a loved one through cancer 

This new technology is an alternative to the traditional method of tissue expansion still used at most hospitals, with patients having to visit their doctor frequently to have 50cc or more of saline injected. And, although the upfront cost is higher for this technology, in the end, we think that this novel technology lowers costs since there will be less visits to the doctor. The reward for patients is incalculable. Here are the top benefits of the expander system:

• It is patient-controlled. Patients are in control and decide how often to dose and when to stop expanding their breasts.
• You can do it anywhere. Patients can release the puffs of air anywhere and anytime they want without having to schedule a doctor’s visit, take off from work or even worry about daycare.
• There are no needles involved. Therefore, there is no need to feel anxious! By using the remote-control device, patients can press a button to release a dose of air that expands their breasts steadily. Each small dose can barely be felt.
• Less risky. No needles also means there is less risk for infection or rupture, which can happen occasionally with saline-filled expanders.
• It’s more empowering. With an AeroForm expander, the patient has full control and releases her own doses instead of having to come in every one to two weeks to have a doctor inject fluid into the breast.

Patients enjoy playing an active role in their own recoveries. AeroForm is a game-changing technology that allows patients to be fully involved in the process — it decreases pain and complications and literally hands them control.

Author

Tripp Holton, MD, is a plastic surgeon at Anne Arundel Medical Group (AAMG) Plastic Surgery and specializes in breast reconstruction, including microvascular surgery as well as cosmetic surgery of the face and body at Anne Arundel Medical Center. You can reach his office at 443-481-3400 or AAMGPlasticSurgery.com.