Breast Reconstruction: What You Need to Know Before Opting for Surgery
We all understand the severe threat that breast cancer poses to women, which is why many women are faced with the devastating prospect of undering go a mastectomy surgery. A mastectomy is the surgical removal of the entire breast in order to remove breast cancer and prevent it from spreading around the body. If you are about to undergo a mastectomy yourself, you can take comfort in the fact that your breasts can be reconstructed to help you look and feel like yourself even after surgery.
How Does Breast Reconstruction Work?
Breast reconstruction restores either one or both breasts to have normal shape, symmetry, appearance, and feeling. It can be incredibly difficult to lose one or both breasts and lose your sense of identity in the process, so breast reconstruction works to help you still feel feminine, sexy, and comfortable in your own skin.
Timing Your Reconstruction
You can opt to undergo your breast reconstruction immediately after your lumpectomy or mastectomy, or a few months or years afterward. The unique part about immediate reconstruction is that it allows your breast cancer doctor and your plastic surgeon to collaborate and ensure excellent results.
For some women, immediate reconstruction isn’t an option because radiation therapy and chemotherapy are still required after the mastectomy surgery. Those therapies can cause reconstructed breasts to lose their volume, texture, and shape. If you will be undergoing further treatment, it is best to wait to begin reconstruction.
The Best Reconstruction Surgery Methods
Your plastic surgeon will complete a thorough evaluation of your breasts and cancer condition in order to identify the best reconstruction option for your unique case. Tissue expansion and flap reconstruction are the most common methods.
Tissue expansion with implant reconstruction is often utilized. It involves using expanders under the chest muscle and skin to create room for a soft silicone implant. Flap reconstruction, on the other hand, uses tissue from other parts of the body to create a flap for breast implants. The tissue is usually taken from the back, abdomen, or buttocks. This is a more complicated procedure that is best used when tissue has been damaged from radiation treatment or not enough skin exists to be stretched with an expander.
When it comes to reconstructing your breasts, you only want to trust a proven expert and industry leader like Dr. Marc Polecritti at The Julian Institute of Plastic Surgery. Call (352) 606-4754 to make an appointment now!
