Marie-Claude Belzile of Tout aussi femme is the leading voice for flat advocacy in Quebec. She recently published her book Penser le Sein Feministe (Considering the Feminist Breast) which deconstructs the cultural narrative about going flat. The Importance of Having a Plastic Surgeon at the Initial Mastectomy for Women Who Choose Flat Closure Editor’s Comment:Continue reading “Guest Blog: Plastics Closure Should Be Routine”
Category Archives: Articles
NPoaS Survey 2018 Report
Download the entire report here. The data analysis is in from our “Going Flat After Mastectomy Survey 2018.” Many thanks to those who participated in this important work! Addressing the Data Deficit on Flat Closure There is little to no data in the existing body of scientific literature that specifically addresses the quality of lifeContinue reading “NPoaS Survey 2018 Report”
Should I Confront My Surgeon?
Confronting Your Surgeon After Flat Denial: A Personal Choice Preface by NPoaS Founder, Kim Bowles If you have been a victim of flat denial, I wrote this for you. Before we delve into the issue of confronting your surgeon, I want to make sure that you hear this: You’re not alone; This is not your fault;Continue reading “Should I Confront My Surgeon?”
The Middle Way? SWIM
Reconstructing a normal anatomic chest contour post-mastectomy using a new plastic surgery technique without implants or distant tissue donor sites As patient demand grows for high quality, aesthetically pleasing flat mastectomy closures, cutting edge surgical techniques will be part of the conversation. Today we discuss a new technique called the “Goldilocks mastectomy,” or SWIM. ThisContinue reading “The Middle Way? SWIM”
New Resource Pages at Flat Closure NOW: Explant and Revision
New Resource Pages at Flat Closure NOW for Patients Seeking Explant and Revision Surgery EXPLANT SURGERY Our sister organization, Flat Closure NOW (FCN), just published a new resource page for women who have chosen to remove their breast implants (“explant“) and go flat! If you are considering going flat after explant, please visit FCN’s Explant PageContinue reading “New Resource Pages at Flat Closure NOW: Explant and Revision”
Aesthetic Results Matter to Male Patients Too
Just before the holiday, the BBC published an article featuring a UK man, Peter Bagnall, who was diagnosed with breast cancer and was denied surgery to produce a symmetric aesthetic result, causing him immense emotional distress. Men represent less than 1% of all breast cancer diagnoses, but that number represents thousands of men every yearContinue reading “Aesthetic Results Matter to Male Patients Too”
Focus on Flat Closure Techniques
Awareness Continues to Spread Word continues to spread among the surgical community that patients going flat after mastectomy expect their choice to be given the care and consideration it deserves – the same level that is afforded to the choice to reconstruct. Patients going flat expect a high-quality flat closure in one surgery whenever possible.Continue reading “Focus on Flat Closure Techniques”
What Flat Denial Is, and Is Not
We would like to clear up any confusion about what flat denial is, and what it is not. We want to directly address the conflation of minor cosmetic defects with the egregious results that constitute flat denial, as well as the conflation of women who were on the fence about reconstruction with those who madeContinue reading “What Flat Denial Is, and Is Not”
Patient Advocate Sandee: “We all need advocates to help us speak our truths”
Editor: Not Putting on a Shirt believes that women shouldn’t have to take extraordinary measures to ensure that their choice to go flat is respected. Unfortunately, we live in a world where paternalism is still endemic. Sandee’s patients in Qatar are lucky to have someone knowledgeable and bold acting on their behalf to protect them,Continue reading “Patient Advocate Sandee: “We all need advocates to help us speak our truths””
Rebecca’s Choice: Going Flat with Radical Self-Acceptance
Editor: While every woman’s story is unique, the contrast between the post-operative experiences of women who choose to go flat whose decision was respected, versus those whose wishes were not respected, is stark. Going flat can feel freeing and empowering, but when a woman’s choice is stolen from her, she experiences it as a lossContinue reading “Rebecca’s Choice: Going Flat with Radical Self-Acceptance”