Restore lost protective sensation after mastectomy with Resensation®, an advanced nerve reconstruction technique that reconnects sensory nerves during breast reconstruction. For those living with numbness or discomfort, this optional procedure takes advantage of your body’s natural regenerative process in sensory nerves to regrow over time, helping you regain awareness of pressure and injury. Dr. Stephen Lu offers Resensation® to help patients restore sensation, reduce emotional disconnect, and feel more integrated with their reconstructed breasts.
Restore Protective Sensation After Mastectomy
The sensory nerves that innervate the breast, areola, and nipple travel along the chest wall and through the breast tissue, and thus are unavoidably cut during mastectomy. As a result, many patients are left with permanent numbness across the chest, breast skin, or reconstructed breast. In some cases, the cut nerve endings can form a painful neuroma, a small, scar-like nodule that causes sharp, electric, or lightning-like pain in a specific area. This condition, known as post-mastectomy pain syndrome (PMPS), can interfere with your daily comfort, intimacy, and overall quality of life.
Resensation® is a nerve repair technique performed during breast reconstruction that can address numbness and/or nerve-related pain. During surgery, the sensory nerves are identified and reconnected using an allograft nerve, which acts as a biological bridge. Over time, typically over one to two years, your nerve fibers regenerate through the graft, restoring the potential for protective sensation. This includes awareness of pressure, discomfort, or injury, such as feeling a hug or recognizing heat before a burn occurs.
Instead of accepting complete numbness as the only outcome after mastectomy, Resensation® allows your body to regain meaningful sensation and a stronger physical and emotional connection to your reconstructed breasts, helping you feel more like yourself again.
Resensation® Aids:
- Numbness after mastectomy
- Loss of touch, temperature, or pressure sensation
- Disconnection from reconstructed breasts
- Emotional distress caused by a lack of sensation
- Sensory changes following breast cancer surgery
Candidacy for Resensation®/Nerve Reconstruction
You may be a candidate for Resensation® if you are planning to undergo a mastectomy with either autologous or implant-based breast reconstruction and wish to restore protective sensation or improve your connection to your reconstructed breasts. This optional procedure is best performed at the time of mastectomy in implant-based reconstruction (immediate reconstruction), or at any time with autologous reconstruction, even years later (immediate or delayed reconstruction).
Patients who have ongoing numbness, focal areas of nerve pain, or symptoms consistent with post-mastectomy pain syndrome may benefit from evaluation. Loss of sensation or persistent nerve discomfort can affect daily activities, body awareness, and emotional well-being, making nerve repair a meaningful choice for some patients.
During your consultation, we will review your surgical history, symptoms, and goals in detail. Dr. Lu will examine your body, reconstruction (if performed), assess your nerve anatomy, and determine whether nerve repair or neuroma treatment can be performed as part of your surgical plan.
Advantages of Resensation®:
- Restores sensation lost after mastectomy
- Reconnects severed nerves for long-term sensory improvement
- Enhances emotional and physical connection to reconstructed breasts
- Improves quality of life outcomes
- Supports a more natural, integrated reconstruction outcome
- Helps you feel more like yourself again
- Can prevent or treat post-mastectomy pain syndrome
- Minimal to no donor site morbidity
Your Resensation® Procedure
Your Resensation® procedure begins during your mastectomy or breast reconstruction surgery. After the mastectomy is performed, Dr. Lu carefully identifies the sensory nerves in the chest or nerves that were severed during your mastectomy. He prepares these nerves for connection and selects an allograft nerve as a biological bridge to either the nipple-areola complex or the autologous flap. This graft guides your nerves to regenerate naturally over time, restoring the potential for sensation in your reconstructed breast.
Once the allograft is secured, Dr. Lu completes your reconstruction, ensuring both the aesthetic and functional aspects align with your goals. Because the nerve repair is performed at the same time as reconstruction, you won’t need a second operation. As healing progresses, your body begins regenerating nerve fibers through the graft, gradually improving your ability to restore protective sensation, such as awareness of pressure or discomfort.
Resensation® FAQs
How Does Resensation® Restore Feeling After a Mastectomy?
Resensation® reconnects the sensory nerves that were cut during your mastectomy. Dr. Lu uses an allograft nerve (processed human nerve tissue) to bridge the gap between the remaining nerve endings and your reconstructed breast. Over time, your own nerve fibers grow through the graft, gradually restoring sensation. This process uses your body’s natural healing abilities, so improvement continues for months and even years after surgery.
How Long Does It Take to Regain Sensation?
Nerves regenerate slowly, typically about one millimeter per day. Most people begin noticing subtle changes in sensation several months after surgery, with continued improvement over the next one to two years. While every person heals differently, many patients experience meaningful sensory return over time, making the gradual process worthwhile.
Can Resensation® Restore Full, Normal Sensation?
Many patients regain some measure of protective sensation, but not everyone returns to pre-mastectomy levels of feeling. The goal is improvement, not perfection. However, most patients find even partial sensation life-changing, helping them feel more connected to their bodies and more confident after reconstruction.
Meet Dr. Stephen Lu
Dr. Lu is a board-certified plastic surgeon specializing in Resensation®, an advanced nerve repair technique that helps patients restore sensation after a mastectomy. With expertise in complex breast revisions and breast reconstruction in Pennsylvania, he is passionate about helping survivors and previvors regain sensation in their post-cancer journey. Please schedule a consultation to explore how Dr. Stephen Lu can help you achieve your goals with Resensation®.
