Yasmina Kattou, edited by Julia Solans / Photo credit: Nicolas Guyonnet / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP
Be careful to protect yourself from the sun if you have had breast implants for breast reconstruction after breast cancer. UV rays can cause serious burns and damage the prosthesis under the skin.
More than 200,000 women are affected in France and millions worldwide. In this summer of 2023, it is important to remember the importance of protecting yourself from the sun’s rays, especially for all women who have had breast prostheses fitted after breast cancer. The latter can indeed be victims of third degree burns after exposure to the sun. Blame it on the color of the swimsuits according to the explanations at the microphone of Europe 1 by the plastic surgeon at the Breast Institute in Paris, Isabelle Sarfati.
Opt for bright swimsuits
“The mechanism is that the dark swimsuit concentrates the heat. The prosthesis, which is behind the skin, probably also heats up a little. The patient feels nothing,” she explains. It would be the black, blue and brown swimsuits that would mainly lead to burns on a reconstructed breast. The fact of not feeling pain is precisely the trap to avoid. When a woman undergoes a mastectomy, the skin on the chest becomes numb. The diagnosis is then made in the evening, facing the mirror, and the consequences can be very serious.
A third degree burn is then very deep since “it’s burned up to the prosthesis, so it will be exposed, it will eventually have to be removed and start all over again. This concerns all patients who have breast reconstruction, even if it was 10, 15 or 20 years ago”, continues the plastic surgeon before specifying that sun protection will not avoid being burned. It is therefore essential to wear a light colored bikini top if the women concerned are exposed to the sun.