“I MADE A MISTAKE, BUT I DON’T WANT TO LOSE MY FEMININITY…”

With these words, Elena, an attractive and slender 50-year-old woman, began her meeting with her treating surgeons from the Department of Oncology and Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery of the Breast and Skin at the P. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute – branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution of the “National Medical Research Radiological Centre” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. She had sought help not only from specialists in her city but also from top surgeons in Moscow, but no one could offer her a solution that satisfied her.

Elena’s story began in 1995 when, still a young girl, she decided to undergo the then-popular breast augmentation procedure using gel. “At that time, this method was very popular, and many women opted for breast augmentation this way,” explains Aziz Zikiryakhodjaev, head of the Department of Oncology and Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery of the Breast and Skin. “However, despite things looking more or less fine at first, almost every woman later faced serious complications, some even fatal.”

The same happened to Elena. About a year ago, she noticed a sudden deformation of her breast, with the left one becoming significantly larger. Soon after, she experienced pain and constant fever. For a long time, Elena pursued conservative treatment, taking painkillers and fever reducers, but when her fever reached a critical point and the therapy offered no relief, she called for an ambulance and was immediately admitted to a purulent surgery ward. She had developed an abscess.

“Over time, the gel tends to migrate throughout the body, getting into the intercostal spaces, under the skin, muscles, and lymph nodes,” explains Fatima Khugaeva, the oncologist-surgeon treating Elena. “This leads to patients having to undergo difficult, lengthy, and often disfiguring surgeries to eliminate the consequences of such beauty procedures.”

In the purulent surgery ward, the specialists managed to evacuate only part of the gel, partially removing the breast itself. The remaining substance had formed into gelomas and cysts with lime deposits throughout the breast area. Elena’s body was severely damaged. For the doctors, saving her life was the priority, and the aesthetic aspect was not a concern.

Some time later, Elena sought help at the P. Hertsen MORI, complaining about the unsatisfactory appearance of her breast. She dreamed of restoring her natural beauty and searched for help, but all she was offered were refusals or the total removal of her breast.

“For me, it’s a very difficult issue. I want beautiful breasts. I can’t live like this,” the surgeons recall the words of the woman who was practically begging for help.

The department specialists sent the patient for additional examinations to assess the extent of the gel’s migration into the tissues. “The scans showed that the gel had grown into the skin,” noted Fatima Slavikovna. “In such a situation, the only possible tactic is the complete removal of the breast along with the skin.”

However, Elena presented the surgeons with a challenging task: to preserve the nipple-areola complex and perform reconstruction using implants. Only the specialists at the National Medical Research Radiological Centre dared to take on this complex case. The surgical team was led by Aziz Zikiryakhodjaev. “The most unpleasant thing we encountered during the surgery was the gel leakage, which doubled the risk of infection. Not to mention the thinned skin and fragile blood vessels that were literally tearing under the instruments. One wrong move, and the possibility of reconstruction would have been lost forever,” says Aziz Dilshodovich. “We managed to completely remove the breast, the affected skin fragments, while preserving the nipple-areola complex for future reconstruction.”

Next, a long rehabilitation process was required. The second stage of breast reconstruction was performed by the surgeons only seven months later.

Just a few days ago, Elena became the happy owner of beautiful breasts. The surgery was successful, and she is now preparing for discharge. She no longer has to worry about potential complications. This is yet another brilliant victory for our surgeons, who successfully help even the most challenging patients.