Why I chose aesthetic flat closure after breast implant illness
Guest blogger Holly K. Thrasher shares her journey through double mastectomy, breast implant illness (BII), explant surgery, and finding self-acceptance through aesthetic flat closure.
Takeaways:
Reconstructive breast surgery does not guarantee emotional healing for every survivor.
Breast Implant Illness (BII) can require explant surgery, causing survivors to grieve breast loss a second time.
Aesthetic Flat Closure is a valid surgical option chosen by roughly 44% of U.S. women after mastectomy.
Reframing your body image with the support of flat closure communities helps rebuild self-esteem.
A breast cancer diagnosis comes with so many decisions and choices. For most newly diagnosed women, the whole focus is on your breasts—losing them and then recreating them.
I believed at the time of my diagnosis that I needed breasts to keep being a woman. Reconstruction with breast implants was supposed to be my silver lining to breast cancer. They were supposed to restore my body image, replace my loss, and help me move on after cancer.
However, my decision to reconstruct was not the right decision for me, and I had no idea until it was already completed and I was suffering from Breast Implant Illness (BII). The reality is… I lost my breasts twice and had to grieve that loss twice!
First loss: After my double mastectomy in 2015 from cancer.
Second loss: After my explant (breast implant removal) in 2019.
How do you process grief and practice acceptance after mastectomy?
I have realized that the only way around all the grief and loss that occurs from having cancer is to start to ACCEPT it and work through it.
What acceptance has meant to me is making small tweaks in the way that I think, so I can continue to move forward and live my life without drowning in negativity and fear.
I joined several flat closure support groups on Facebook ahead of my explant and was able to see thousands of women affectionately nicknamed "Flatties" living their lives in color. They were laughing, crying, sharing photos of their bodies and scars, and being real and truthful about how they were feeling in their journeys. What a gift!
It helped me reframe how I felt about my newly flat chest and allowed me to feel empowered by it.
What is Aesthetic Flat Closure?
Aesthetic Flat Closure
Medical Definition:
A surgical procedure that reconstructs a flat, smooth chest wall after mastectomy by removing excess skin and fat.
Key Statistic:
Approximately 44% of U.S. women choose no reconstruction following mastectomy surgery.
Aesthetic Flat Closure is the medical term for the procedure that creates a smooth, flat chest after a mastectomy. Approximately 44% of US women choose no reconstruction after breast cancer.
I wish my doctors had educated me about Aesthetic Flat Closure after my mastectomy—it was an option I was never given.
You can find out more about breast implant illness and living flat in my book, Bye-Bye Boobs: My Real Ones Tried to Kill Me & My Fake Ones Made Me Sick. You can also reach out on Instagram @HollyKThrasher—I would love to hear from you!
Guest Blogger: Holly K. Thrasher,
Breast Cancer, Breast Implant Illness Survivor & Thriver
For more on navigating post-surgery self-image, read our guide on relearning self-love and body image after cancer.
You don't have to navigate this alone.
Deciding whether to reconstruct or go flat is a deeply personal choice that impacts your body image and confidence. Connect with women who have walked this path before. Connect with our virtual and in-person survivor support groups today.