Every month, I’ll be
highlighting breast cancer research that is going on RIGHT NOW! Harvested from
different websites, journals and podcasts, I’ll translate them into
understandable English and share them with you. Today...
Another wrinkle in the changes brought by breast cancer,
double mastectomy, chemotherapy, and breast reconstruction. Last night, my wife
mentioned that there were cold spots on her skin over the saline implants she
has. I checked them myself and they DID feel cooler than the surrounding skin.
Hence today’s subject.
There’s remarkably little written about the way external
temperatures affect the saline or silicone gel in standard breast implants,
though I did find this:
“Implants placed after mastectomy tend to be a
little cooler than the rest of the body, and a complaint or feature that women
do appreciate over time, especially in women in colder climates. This is
because the implants are filled with saline or silicone and essentially sit
outside the chest cavity and just beneath the skin. They probably are, in fact,
a degree or a few degrees cooler than the true body temperature.” Kristin Brill, M.D., F.A.C.S.
We are, in fact, in the middle of a cold spell – actually our
part of the country is in a cold spell from October through April – and while
she hadn’t experienced this exactly before, there IS some evidence that while
it’s unusual, it’s not unheard of:
“To answer your question--yes, there are reports of implants
being affected by cold weather. This is more likely with saline implants, but
also occurs with silicone. People report breast pain, and occasionally a change
in feel during the cold months. There is no good data to say how often this
occurs--however it is certainly not universal. This appears to lessen with
time, however can last years. The likelihood depends on the procedure--where
exactly the implant is placed.”
“Many drugs used to treat breast cancer…can damage nerves
outside of the brain and spinal cord. This can sometimes lead to symptoms
(mainly in the hands and feet) like numbness, pain, burning or tingling sensations,
sensitivity to cold or heat, or weakness. In most cases this goes away once treatment
is stopped, but it might last a long time in some women…”
Not sure how MUCH of an explanation it is, but without
regular contact with the plastic surgeon and the breast cancer expert, there’s
not much else we can do but check the internet (using RELIABLE sources) and wait
until the next checkup…
Resources: http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/planning/ask_expert/2008_05/question_39,
https://www.zocdoc.com/answers/2987/does-cold-weather-affect-breast-implants,
http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003090-pdf.pdf
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