Episode 64: Microsurgery and Fat Grafting in Breast Reconstruction
Release Date: 08/28/2024
Episode 72: Stacked Flap in Breast Reconstruction for Radiated Skin and to Achieve Volume
DiepCJourney Podcast
Listeners of the are familiar with the DIEP flap breast reconstruction procedure where the abdominal skin, tissue, and underlying blood vessels are used to replace the breast tissue lost due to mastectomy after being affected by breast cancer. On this episode we are going to discuss the “” in breast reconstruction. I’m speaking with of in Phoenix, AZ. He is a board-certified plastic surgeon who is specifically trained in microsurgery. It is the specialty of microsurgery that is required to perform a stacked flap procedure. Dr. Matatov and his team perform these and why I reached out...
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Episode 71: Rori Zura of Foobs and Fitness: Exercise and Breast Cancer
DiepCJourney Podcast
My guest on this episode of the is a young woman who during the height of the COVID pandemic, at only 33 years old, became diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. Her Journey was not easy but, it is truly inspiring and motivating. She has a strong family history of distinct types of cancer. This is a quote from her website: “Tired of reactive approaches, that waited for symptoms to appear, I refused to let history repeat itself. Recognizing that others face similar challenges I knew action was needed." This quote reflects her work, her passion, and her profession. My guest is , who...
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Episode 70: The Gift of Patient Advocate Wisdom
DiepCJourney Podcast
This episode of the is our final edition in 2024. I share a discussion across continents with two women leaders I admire who engage in patient advocacy and the patient story. is well known for “” a platform where she gathers writers and bloggers sharing their stories across social media platforms. Her journey in patient advocacy began twenty years ago with a diagnosis of breast cancer. Marie poignantly tells us in the interview that, "We find when we are diagnosed with a serious illness, something is missing. We look around and see who can fix this. I discovered the person who could fix...
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Episode 69: A Decade of Collaboration: Celebrating a Mentor
DiepCJourney Podcast
Ten years ago, on December 1, 2014, I was in the trusted hands of a skilled microsurgeon who took tissue from my tummy area along with the skin and blood vessels, and rebuilt what cancer had taken away from me. I lost my breasts to a double mastectomy. For those of us who have been affected by breast cancer, a mastectomy is an amputation. The skilled microsurgeon is my guest on this episode of the . , president of in San Antonio, Texas, reconstructed my breasts using the training, skill, and compassion that makes him who he is as a breast reconstruction surgeon and is one of the finest human...
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Episode 68: Pathways to Care Due to Secondary Issues from Breast Cancer Treatment
DiepCJourney Podcast
Solutions often begin with a conversation. When faced with the task of planning your surgery, it is the goal of the to provide for those affected by breast cancer. My guest is , an international expert in advanced reconstruction and a highly skilled microsurgeon. Dr. Elkwood is the founder of The Plastic Surgery Center and in New Jersey. You can also visit or call 954-218-5137 to schedule a consultation with a surgeon on these advanced and specialty conditions. The surgeons in the IFAR network perform breast reconstruction surgery due to loss of breast after mastectomy from breast...
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Episode 67: The Role of Social Media in the Breast Cancer Community
DiepCJourney Podcast
What is it about social media that draws the breast cancer community together? We are going to explore this question with my guest, , consultant breast cancer surgeon and medical educator on social media under the name, @DrTashaG. We will look at the benefits, downfalls, information, and disinformation provided by various social media platforms on this episode of the . How can you find the right community that supports both your emotional and educational needs when each person is unique and there are distinct types of breast cancer? Why is it important for physicians to interact and be active...
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Episode 66: Wildfire Community: The Power of Story Telling in Breast Cancer
DiepCJourney Podcast
In this episode of the I interview . She is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of . April has an extensive background in writing and landed her first memoir-based magazine cover story at 16. She worked for her college newspaper and then the local newspaper in Santa Cruz, The Sentinel, following graduation. During the tech boom of the early 2000s April worked “over the hill” from Santa Cruz in Silicon Valley. However, in 2012, in the midst of this career, April was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer at age 35. Four years later, while struggling to “go back to normal” and find others in...
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Episode 65: Breast Reconstruction at Tucson Plastic Surgery
DiepCJourney Podcast
Are you aware of the value of the two-surgeon model in reconstructive microsurgery? Have you heard about the benefits to patients of ERAS (Enhanced Recovery after Surgery) protocol? I spoke with two board-certified plastic reconstructive surgeons who practice at to answer these questions and others on this episode of the . My guests are and . They met at the , a well-known yearly gathering of microsurgical specialists from around the world who present the latest techniques in flap surgeries. Their combined training in breast reconstruction microsurgery and aesthetic plastic surgery offers...
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Episode 64: Microsurgery and Fat Grafting in Breast Reconstruction
DiepCJourney Podcast
When you think about breast reconstruction do you only think about breast implants? If so, it is because many people are still choosing this option for reconstructing their breast after mastectomy. However, there are options. Using your own tissue is an option and the tissue, along with a blood source, can come from various parts of the body. Fat grafting to shape and form the breast is also an option many ask about but not all know about. This is our topic on this episode of the . My guest, , is a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon practicing in Hopewell, New Jersey at the ....
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Episode 63: Sensation and Sensibility in Breast Reconstruction
DiepCJourney Podcast
Breast sensation, “sensibility,” is a topic I personally cannot talk enough about. Breast cancer patients want to be protected from burns. They want to feel the hugs from their children, grandchildren, partners, friends, and family. Sensibility refers to awareness, emotional response, and feeling so it makes perfect sense to use this word in our conversation on this episode of the . To be honest, the feeling of numbness that many feel after a mastectomy just feels odd. I speak from experience, and I listen to other survivors who tell me this. It felt odd for me, but I was fortunate to have...
info_outlineWhen you think about breast reconstruction do you only think about breast implants? If so, it is because many people are still choosing this option for reconstructing their breast after mastectomy. However, there are options. Using your own tissue is an option and the tissue, along with a blood source, can come from various parts of the body. Fat grafting to shape and form the breast is also an option many ask about but not all know about. This is our topic on this episode of the DiepCJourney podcast.
My guest, Dr. Eric Wimmers, is a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon practicing in Hopewell, New Jersey at the Plastic Surgery Center. He is part of the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction (IFAR) network of surgeons across the U.S.
Dr. Wimmers has unique training in microsurgery and immunology. Although he operates on the entire body, his special interests are breast reconstruction, abdominal wall reconstruction, and peripheral nerve repair.
His pathway to his current practice as a microsurgeon developed over time. Dr. Wimmers shares his personal journey with us from beginning as an emergency room physician to a surgeon. Once he had exposure to the scope of plastic surgery, restoring form and function to the human body affected by trauma and disease he never looked back.
Dr. Wimmers shares the value of his surgical practice being part of the IFAR network. He points out that they are grouping up with other like-minded microsurgeons across the U.S. to tackle problems and issues patients face when they have been told there is no hope or fix. Combined resources and talent within the IFAR network are providing greater access to care for patients.
We continue our discussion with an explanation of the types of breast reconstruction available. Dr. Wimmers utilizes the tummy tissue most often to perform DIEP flap breast reconstruction. However, he points out not all patients have the excess tissue in their own body in the right places to do autologous reconstruction, meaning using the patients own tissue. He does get inquiries about fat grafting only.
Patients are interested in it for a variety of reasons. It might be that they have already had a tummy tuck. It may be that their fat distribution is in other places other than the abdomen. Most of his patients requesting fat grafting only tend to be on the smaller side and prefer a smaller size breast. He explains the fat grafting only procedure in detail in our interview. Dr. Wimmers tells us fat grafting only is a series of procedures done over time. Fat grafting is a very technique driven procedure.
Be sure to watch our interview on the DiepCFoundation Educational Channel
Connect with Dr. Eric Wimmers:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrEricWimmers/
Connect with The Institute for Advanced Reconstruction:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdvancedReconstruction
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/advancedreconstruction/
X/Twitter: https://x.com/AdvancedReconNJ