ContourMed Inc.

Mimi San Pedro’s work at ContourMed Inc. is more of a mission than a job. She connects with her clients because she has been where they are, as a breast cancer survivor.

After her experience, San Pedro was inspired to work for ContourMed of Little Rock, a company that produces custom prosthetic breasts for cancer survivors and accident victims.

Established in 1998 in the business incubator program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, ContourMed uses a 3-D scanner to map the size and shape of the woman’s remaining breast. The machine then flips the image to create an identical form while also taking into account the contours of the incision site.

The image is sent to machines that create a light-weight silicone and foam breast from a selection of 16 skin tones. The entire process takes 15-20 days and is as much about the artistry as it is about making women feel good about themselves again, San Pedro said.

Most private insurance companies cover 80-100 percent of the cost, which ranges from $3,000 to $3,600 for one prosthesis.

ContourMed employs 10 on site and three salespeople and has created some 500 forms since the company was re-established in 2001. It also expects to exceed $1 million in sales in 2004.

“We’ve kind of shaken up the breast-prosthesis industry,” San Pedro said, referring to the ContourMed product that can be worn in nearly any circumstance with a normal bra.

ContourMed targets at least three different audiences: the medical community, cancer organizations and survivors and potential distributors.

Physicians are an ideal resource to further ContourMed’s message.

“(Oncologists) treat (cancer patients) for the disease, and now they’re going to have to put them back together,” San Pedro said.