Breast Reconstruction

A breast reconstruction is a cosmetic surgery procedure that helps the woman by restoring the feel and look of her breast or breasts after having went through mastectomy. Such an operation can be done right at the moment of the mastectomy or after it. We see that most women are currently opting for breast reconstruction that is immediate. The problem is that this is not a choice that can be done by the patient. It is the doctor that can tell you when you can get breast reconstruction surgery done and all depends on your own case. The truth is that not every woman out there is a candidate for such a procedure to be done right as mastectomy is done.

Remember that any breast that is reconstructed does not feel or look like a natural one. The good news is that technology is evolving and so does plastic surgery. Most women will tell you that breast reconstruction is important because it gives you back self esteem and a lot more confidence in one’s sexuality.

We are faced with 2 main types when talking about breast reconstruction. One will utilize artificial implants that are filled with silicone or saline. The other one will utilize skin, muscle and fat that comes from other parts of the body. Every type will bring to the table various drawbacks and benefits. Any artificial implant will need surgery that is less complicate when compared to the alternative that uses the patients’ body tissue. On the other hand the end result might look less natural and it might feel the same. The truth is that there is no breast reconstruction procedure that can be labeled as the best at the moment. It is crucial that you discuss to your surgeon prior to the operation. This is because he/she is the only person that can give you all the information you need, not to mention making you understand what should be done. Both of these techniques are fairly simple and you will rarely be faced with complications but it is very important to maintain a close relationship with your doctor.

We need to put an emphasis on smoking because it might have an effect on the breast reconstruction procedure. Women that smoke need to talk to the plastic surgeon and let them know because they will learn about the possible problems that can appear. In most cases we are talking about flap procedure complications and wound healing that is delayed.

There are several steps involved in all breast reconstruction procedures. This goes for both immediate reconstruction and delayed reconstruction. In most cases we are dealing with needed hospital stay as a first step. The rest varies from one woman to the other.

Breast reconstruction cosmetic surgeries are not at all that complicated. People might see them like that but the truth is that there are rarely any problems with it. On the other hand, it is crucial that your doctor lets you know everything that you should know. Minor risks can exist and you need to know them. We can not tell you exactly what you need to know because all varies on what is needed. For instance, a breast reconstruction procedure might need to be performed through more than 1 surgery. There are patients that might need extra procedures done for adding nipple(s), changing the size or shape of the breast that is reconstructed or doing an extra operation on the breast that is opposed so that the match done is better. We are basically talking about a delicate subject here because we can not give you all the guidelines needed due to the variations possible. We recommend that you consult a specialist doctor directly and ask for a check up to gain all the info you need.