Video
Voiceover:
24-year-old Paul came to see Pixie, suffering from Poland’s Syndrome, where one of his chest muscles is missing. He’s been referred to see Dr Yannis Alexandrides about the option to give him a perfect pec.
Dr Alexandrides:
We have two, uh, main solutions here. The first one is a permanent solution, made of silicone, we will insert it under your skin to give the impression of a muscle.
Voiceover:
But there’s a less intrusive alternative to an implant for Paul, which will give him a quicker result. And that’s to use a cosmetic filler called Macrolane, which will last between 18 and 24 months.
Dr Alexandrides:
The material is made of hyaluronic acid, it’s a substance that is found in our own skin, so it’s a natural substance, and we inject enough volume in the gap to create the volume that we need to match the difference. The advantage of this procedure is that it is done under local anaesthetic, so you don’t need to go to sleep, and it takes approximately an hour. And within a week, you will feel healthy enough to go back to all your activities.
Voiceover:
A couple of weeks later, and Paul is back to see Dr Alexandrides, and has decided that the less-invasive temporary procedure should be his first option.
Dr Alexandrides:
So I’m going to use two points of entry, one will be here and one will be here, and a third one might be here. They’re all very small, okay? So the pectoralis muscle is attached to this part of the thoracic wall…the lower part of it is completely gone. It’s only the upper muscle that is in existence on this side. When you compare it to the other side of the chest, you’ll see that the thoracic wall is smooth and round. But here, it created this concavity, that starts right here and it’s all the way to here. So what I will be doing, I will be focusing to fill in the concavity with the hyaluronic acid.
Voiceover:
Dr Alexandrides starts by numbing the area with a local anaesthetic…
Dr Alexandrides:
We want to inject the anaesthetic into the whole area we’re going to be injecting, so the whole area is completely numb. I’m using this large needle, it allows me to do this job faster and uh, with less patient discomfort, because if I didn’t have this big needle, I would have, I would need to do multiple injections in the skin.
Voiceover:
...and then begins to insert the filler using a special needle.
Dr Alexandrides:
So yeah, this is a special needle, it has a flat tip, and it has the injection part underneath. So that means that the first part of the needle spreads the area where the material will go, and then the material comes from the back so it spreads evenly, so it’s really the best kind for this approach. So I feel with my left hand, and the right one to actually do the injection, so I make sure that this is evenly distributed under the skin. Okay, so we’re doing very well. What I’m going to be doing at this point is massage it a little bit, so make it more even.
Voiceover:
Halfway through the operation, and Dr Alexandrides is carefully comparing the two sides of Paul’s chest, to make sure that they’re even.
Dr Alexandrides:
This is a good spot to really assess the result, because you can compare with the other side. So obviously my aim is to create a symmetric result, so I’m comparing all the points of the pectoralis muscle, and as I said, right now there’s still a little bit of gap created here that I need to fill, but the lower part is looking good. So we need to focus it here. So now we’d like to see you sitting up, so slowly…
Voiceover:
After about an hour, the procedure is complete, but it’ll be a few days before the swelling goes down and Paul will be able to see the impact of the filler.
Voiceover:
A week later, and now Paul is back to the clinic to reveal the results to Dr Pixie.
Dr Pixie:
Hi Paul, how’re you doing, take a seat there.
Paul:
How’re you doing.
Dr Pixie:
Nice to see you. Paul, if you want to slip your jumper off and show me what’s happened and show me the difference between how it was the last time.
Paul:
Yeah.
Dr Pixie:
You’ve got a little bit of bruising here now, so is this uncomfortable?
Paul:
No, it’s fine.
Dr Pixie:
Are you pleased with the result when you look in the mirror?
Paul:
Yeah, I’m very pleased, yeah. It’s been like that for so long, so I don’t know, now they look perfect.
Dr Pixie:
And what are you looking forward to doing now that you maybe would never have considered doing, say, last year?
Paul:
I’m looking forward to, uh, taking my daughter swimming, which I wouldn’t have been able to do, and um, going on my honeymoon, I’ll be looking forward to that, going to the beach.
Dr Pixie:
Fantastic. Good. And you’ve never done that before.
Paul:
No, no, I shied away.
Dr Pixie:
Thank you very much for coming back to see me, and hopefully things will continue to improve. Best of luck with everything.
Paul:
Thank you.
Dr Pixie:
And I’ll leave you to get dressed.
24 year old Paul came to see Dr Pixie because he had never developed pectoral muscles on the right hand side of his body, leaving him with a peculiar chest appearance. Dr Pixie diagnoses Poland’s Syndrome a rare condition more commonly affecting males. The main symptoms of the condition are purely cosmetic so Paul goes to see cosmetic surgeon Dr Yannis Alexandrides. After discussion with Dr Alexandrides Paul opted for a temporary but less invasive solution to surgery which involved injecting a cosmetic filler into the affected side of the chest to give the illusion of chest muscle. After the swelling had gone down Paul returned to Dr Pixie to show off his newly acquired pec.
Patient Name: Paul Darroch
Condition: Poland’s Syndrome
Specialist: Dr Yannis Alexandrides, Plastic Surgeon
Clinic: 111 Harley Street
Length of procedure: Approx 1 hour
Yes
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Hi, I am 18 years old, & was diagnosed with Poland's Sydrome about 2 or 3 years ago. My right breast is virtually unformed at all, while my left breast is a size D. My doctor told me that in order to have a normal chest, I would have to have a series of surgeries, first to implant a skin expander & fix the right breast, then to fix the left one. I really want the surgeries, no matter the pain, but I'm also really hesitant about it. So, my question is: Is it worth it?
hi im ashley and im 22 i had my expander implant at 14 and then at 18 i had a 10 hour operation, then last year had a 6 hour 1, and im waitin on my 4th surgery this year, there is alot of pain but it is definaltly worth it, u wouldnt believe how much happier and confident u will feel, go for it.
C4 is wrong to say PS is mainly cosmetic (maybe for the man in question) but for a woman it does affect you psycologically and it can affect you physically if you lack certain muscles. I am female and aged 60. I was 52 before I found out my birth condition had a name. I was born without a right breast and major pectoral muscle. I played competitive tennis until 10 years ago until my affected shoulder got arthritic. I chose not to have an implant as in my case i would have needed large skin grafts etc etc. to fill the gap. I have been happily married for 40 years but no children as I found out it could be hereditary. When one shoulder is smaller than the other my biggest gripe is the lack of decent clothes as these days they are all backless strapless frontless you know what I mean and seethrough fabric. Drives me to tears. Plus I pay £250 for each bra to be made as M&S haven't got a clue what a special bra needs to be. I can never relate to breast cancer victims as PS is not life threatening. I feel God will not be cruel to give me Breast cancer on the other side - hope so anyway
Hi Bridget, I was saddened to read of your limiting life choices due to the information you have been given, tho it was good to learn that you found a supportive life partner. I beleive our young lives were distressing mainly because of the times we grew up in. I am approaching 50 and as a female went through personal hell as a teen due to my pronounced PS as I thought I was alone. Body image is so important when you're younger. Now, I am slightly more accepting, though I'm still very reticent to tell people my condition and being female dress it up as something not so personal. I have had several surgeries as my body shape has altered over the years, but I have been increasingly pleased with the results. I am a mother of 5 [girls & boys, now grown up] apart from some slightly bent fingers they all seem to be free of any major PS issues. I too was diagnosed very late [by chance after a car accident] and it was a the best thing that happened to me as now I know what I have is not life limiting or life threatening, and I am not a 'one-off freak' as I had thought for many years. One thing that has come to light in my quest for knowledge about 'why me?' is a potential link with 3rd or more generational descendents of hereditory syphilis [which was reputedly common in up to 10% of the population in the early 20th century] and I would be interested to know if the medical profession has looked into this in any great depth. I did contact 'Jimmys' [Leeds] but no reply to date.
I am in my upper 40's black male I just found out what is wrong with my chest and arm ( My arm is smaller and shorter than the left ) I have worked most my life I've been to see Dr's but know one has told me till now what is wrong with me. As a youth I never took off my shirt and I still do the same thing now. The older I am getting the more harder it is to use the right arm. I have pain in the shoulder and it gets numm in my arm and my hand cramps up I'm finding it is harder to do my job with this pain. I am suffering from the embaressment of my chest with every one even my family. I just wanted to look normal and not have this pain I've had for the last 3 months it is like when you hit your funny bone but not funny at all. Did the DR's care ? in the 60's,70's,80's about a young black child in a one parent house hold ? Can I get SSI ? Should I have gotten SSI ? Is there any hope or help for me to look normal ? Can I get help for free?
Hello, i am 32 years old and i suffer from a wekness of muscle in my left shoulder, around the deltoid area. i am not sure whether this is from birth or if it happenned as a teenager. Either way i have tried everything including seeing top muscle and nerve specialists, had many different scans and for the past 18 months i have been using a machine that is very much like one of those electric shock muscle stimulating machines that is supposed to stimulate the nerves to build the muscle but it doesn't seem to be working. I saw the episode with Paul with Poland's syndrome and wondered whether i could have something like that in my shoulder? Please can you help? many thanks Richard
Hi, im a 20 year old girl and I have poland syndrome. When I was 12 i got an expander in my right breast which had no pectorial muscle, I kept having the expander filled as my left breast grew, however when it grew it sagged quite abit as the doctor said it would, so I had an implant to lift it. I never let poland stop what I wanted to do, I swam competively from a young age and was very successful and competed nationally, looking back I cant beleive how confident I was and how i never let having one breast stop me from doing what I loved, because i wanted to carry on swimming I never had the muscle taken from my back and put in my chest as they dont recommend this for people who are competitve in swimming or rock climbing as this muscle is vital. I am now 20 and in jan I had my expander changed to an implant and had lipo from my stomach into my chest (under my collor bone) to fill the gap, on Monday i had my left breast replaced to match the right, they also gave me a nipple reduction so it matched my right which was a lot smaller as it didnt form into a womenly nipple, and I had more fat injections as 50% of the fat gets absorbed into the body. I am really happy with the results and am so thankyou for the surgeon. He also says to me how hes glad that I havent let this affect my life and im positive about it, I really think anyone else that has it shouldnt be embarased, there are far worse disabilities to have. I am at university and have had boyfriends and never let this condition affect me. I hope this has helped other people with the condition and I will answer any questions people might want to know :) xx
can thereever be a lap enlargement?
can poland syndrome on a right leg be corrected too. i am 34years old and my parents never told me the true story of how my left leg grew faster and bigger than my right leg. i am still very active like every normar person ,i don't feel pains but, i get very embarrased when i'm going out swiming cause there is no way i could avoid not wearing shot pants. i'm ready to do anything to see this corrected or anything close to correctness.
I am a 43 yearold male,I have a deformed right hand. My chest and right side of my body are missing muscles. I worked all my life as an electrian. In 2005 i was working in a twenty foot hole ,when it collapsed, injurying my left shoulder and my left arm. I have had four surgerys to my arm and shoulder. I still have crontic pain from my injury. it is too painfull to return to work. I have filed for disability, but turned down, because they don"t connt my poland syndrome as real. With the pain i have in both arms , it seems that i am always miserable. As i have gotten older my fingers on my right hand are growing together. they are more nubs than fingers. Iused to use my right as a helper hand, but now it is too painfull. Now that i cant work , i have no money for doctors. I am tired of hurting,, I need help..... Any sugestons that would benifit my condition. I would be gratefull for........... Thanks Paul
My 11 year old daughter has Polands Syndrome. As yet she does not wish to have any surgery, although we see a consultant periodically to keep her in check with the medical world, should she decide she wishes to have surgery. There is a Charity Group in the UK - The Poland Syndrome Support Group - which offer support advice & information to anyone who needs. All the best.
My daughter Is 12 she had 3 operations when she was a baby and a further one when she was about 6. This operation moved her muscle from her back to her chest. She is fine but would lke to talk to another child with the same condition.
i am 32 now and i had surgery to correct my right hand side chest at the age of 22.It took 2years to complete starting in two stages the first stage was to have a sausage shape balloon inserted under my right armpit with a valve that was filled with saline every 4-6 weeks to strech the skin for the second op.The second op they took muscle from my back and pulled it round to my front to create a chest.Ive got a 8inch scar on my back,a 4inch scar under my chest and a 3-4 inch scar under my arm.Ive made a full recovery and looking good all the pain of the ops was worth it.