Breast Reconstruction – The Options That Are Available To You

Unfortunately, women who undergo mastectomy – surgery done for the treatment of cancer – lose their partial or complete breast. But fortunately, there are also options to rebuild the lost breasts. This option is breast reconstruction surgery in which you get your breasts back. Know here what options are available for you. Mainly there are three options available for breast reconstruction including breast implants, tissue flap and combination of both.

Breast implants are quite commonly used in breast augmentation surgery also that is done to enhance and improve the size and shape of breasts. Implants are the devices that are inserted in breasts to make them fuller and firmer. There are two kinds of implants used for this purpose – saline implants and silicone implants.

·         Saline implants:

Saline implants are filled with solution of salt and water and are covered with silicone shell. Saline implants are Food and Drugs Association (FDA) approved products and are safe for use as in case of rupture they flatten and the solution is absorbed by the body.

·         Silicone implants:

Silicone implants are filled with silicone gel and are covered with silicone shell. If rupture occurs, these implants do not flat and the gel leaks in to the breast tissues. This rupture is known as silent rupture.

The surgery required for inserting implants has two types – one-stage immediate breast reconstruction and two-stage reconstruction.

·         One-stage immediate breast reconstruction:

In this type, breast reconstruction is done at the same time of mastectomy. Just after the general surgeon does mastectomy, plastic surgeon inserts implants in the breasts that gives volume to breasts after removing tissues. This method of inserting implants is complicated than other one.

·         Two-stage breast reconstruction or two-staged delayed reconstruction:

This type of surgery is done more commonly and is done as a separate procedure. In this procedure incisions are made and implants are inserted in the breasts after making pockets for their placement.

In the tissue flap procedure, flap of tissue and skin taken from your own body is used to reconstruct your breast. This tissue flap is mostly taken from body areas including tummy, back, buttocks and back that are more fatty areas. This procedure leaves prominent and long incisions on two sites – one from where tissue flap is taken and the other the breasts where it is placed. This procedure is more complex and as it requires healthy blood vessels to supply blood, it is not recommended for women suffering from diabetes, vascular or connective tissue disease and smokers.

In case, you have lost nipple and areola in mastectomy, it can also be reconstructed your own body tissues or can be designed aesthetically using tattoo. In short, now it is possible to regain your breasts after their removal in mastectomy and you can go for the suitable option among various options available for breast reconstruction.