Clinic Helena: Revolutionising breast reconstruction with a ground-breaking technique

Clinic Helena, where Finnish medical expertise meets personalised care, specialises in cutting-edge breast cancer surgeries, a unique Sensing Breast reconstruction method, and advanced plastic surgical procedures.

Having established a career as a top surgeon at a public healthcare hospital, Dr. Helena Puonti founded Clinic Helena in 1999. Now, Clinic Helena is one of Finland’s leading private clinics specialising in women’s health. “A patient’s breast cancer journey is full of challenges, but there is also a lot of hope and opportunities. At our clinic, we strive to make our patients’ journey as safe as possible and we want all our patients to feel good during and after their stay,” says Puonti, CEO of Clinic Helena and a leading Finnish plastic surgeon, microsurgeon and breast oncologist.

Dr. Helena Puonti founded Clinic Helena.

At Clinic Helena, the first priority in breast cancer care is to perform, whenever possible, breast-conserving surgery, which is successful in 75 per cent of cases at Clinic Helena. Then, the breast shape will be remodelled. However, if breast removal is needed or has already been done, Clinic Helena utilises Puonti’s expertise in the field of breast reconstruction.

Ground-breaking breast reconstruction

Her research has gained global recognition and acclaim and since 2001, Puonti has been developing a breast reconstruction method that allows the restoration of a high degree of sensation to the breasts. For this, she uses free belly tissue (free MS-TRAM, which stands for Muscle-Sparing Transverse Rectus Abdominis Myocutaneous flap). According to the founder, this is an ideal tissue for breast shaping; “It’s soft and feels similar to a natural breast,” she says. “We can use it to shape round, and even large breasts – and what’s more is that patients report gaining sensation in their breast, usually as early as seven months after the surgery.”

For a patient’s quality of life, the shape of the newly constructed breast is important, and Puonti understood early on that it is equally important that the breast also has sensation. This gave birth to the Sensing Breast reconstruction method. “During traditional reconstructive surgery, only blood vessels are connected – not nerves in the breast. Sadly, this results in nearly complete numbness in the breast,” the surgeon says. With the Sensing Breast technique, skin and fatty tissue from the lower belly area is transplanted to the site of the removed breast. Both the blood vessels and the nerves are grafted and connected to the blood vessels and nerves in the chest.

Miss Universe Finland, Petra Hämäläinen, is Clinic Helena’s goodwill ambassador.

Not having sensation in the breasts can have a negative impact on a person’s everyday life. “Sometimes the lack of sensation can potentially also be harmful,” says Puonti. “Without sensation, a woman cannot feel if she spills a hot drink or soup on herself, for example, or she would not feel if the sun was burning or damaging the breast’s skin. Also, holding your child in your arms and not being able to feel their loving embrace can be devastating for a mother.”

Puonti wants to make a difference to people’s lives and help them regain some normalcy after a challenging period in their lives. “Losing a breast to cancer can affect a woman’s self-confidence, and it can be a painful reminder of the tough times. Building a new breast can be a decisive step in a patient’s healing – both physically and psychologically,” she states.

Helping patients from around the world

Clinic Helena’s services are available to patients abroad as well, and many patients travel to Finland to receive the best possible care. “We aim to offer our services in the patient’s mother tongue and our staff will assist before and after their care,” Puonti assures. The clinic collaborates with and accepts guarantees of payment from international insurance companies too, which is a convenient option for patients in time of need.

In addition to breast cancer and reconstruction surgeries, Clinic Helena also offers other reconstructive and aesthetic plastic surgeries. “We offer all types of breast surgeries, including endoscopic breast augmentation, asymmetry correction as well as implant changes and removals,” says the surgeon. “In addition, we offer SMAS facelifts, abdominoplasties and other body-shaping surgeries and liposuction.”

All procedures carry a level of risk, and Puonti is adamant that patient safety comes first. “We always start with an initial consultation, which can also be conducted online, as well as extensive tests in the days leading up to the surgery.” She also strongly believes that by offering excellent aftercare post-surgery, Clinic Helena can reduce the risk of possible complications arising, adding; “We follow up with our patient care until total recovery. Our skilful medical team will assist patients with all their queries and any concerns they may have.”

By combining cutting-edge techniques with care individually tailored for each patient, Clinic Helena is a premier destination for patients worldwide seeking first-class and compassionate medical care.

Web: www.clinichelena.com
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Instagram: @clinichelena