According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, nearly 1 million reconstructive surgery procedures are performed each year. Reconstructive surgery can help repair a part of your body affected aesthetically or functionally, whether it is affected by disease, injury, congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, trauma, infection, tumors, etc.
Breast reconstruction surgery often involves recreating the breast form following tissue removal due to cancer. The creation of a long-lasting, symmetrical, and beautiful breast helps restore confidence, femininity, and self-esteem in women following breast cancer treatment.
Reconstructive surgery is generally done to improve function and ability, but may also be performed to achieve a more typical appearance of the affected body part. There are different types of reconstructive surgery, including breast reconstruction and breast reduction.
What is Breast Reconstruction Surgery?
The goal of breast reconstruction is to restore one or both breasts to near normal shape, appearance, symmetry, and size following mastectomy, lumpectomy or other trauma. Breast reconstruction generally falls into two categories: implant based reconstruction or flap reconstruction. Implant reconstruction relies on breast implants to help form a new breast mound, while flap reconstruction uses the patient’s own tissue from another part of the body to form a new breast. These procedures involve the use of breast implants, your own tissue, or a combination of both.
There are a number of factors that should be taken into consideration when choosing which option is best:
· Appearance
Patient’s body type
Type of mastectomy
Cancer treatments
If you need a mastectomy, you often have a choice about whether or not to have surgery to rebuild the shape of the breast. Instead of breast reconstruction, you could choose to wear a breast form that replaces the breast, wear padding inside your bra, or do nothing. All options have pros and cons. What is right for one woman may not be right for another, and it’s often a very personal and difficult decision to make.
Breast reconstruction may be done at the same time as the mastectomy, or it may be done later on. If radiation therapy is part of the treatment plan, your doctor may suggest waiting until after radiation therapy. If you’re thinking about breast reconstruction, talk to a plastic surgeon before the mastectomy, even if you plan to have your reconstruction later on.
The type of reconstruction that is best for you depends on your age, body type, and if you have been diagnosed with cancer, it would depend on the type of cancer surgery that you had. A plastic surgeon can help you decide.
To learn more about breast reconstruction surgery, call Atlantic Center Surgery at (954) 983-1899 to request an appointment with Dr. Stelnicki or request an appointment online.
