Breast Reconstruction

Breast reconstruction is generally done following a mastectomy where the breast is either completely removed or part of it is removed. When the breast develops cancer, surgery and removal are the only ways to cure the body and prevent the cancer from spreading. Thousands of women suffer from breast cancer and have to go in for mastectomy. The trauma of the disease is usually followed by a feeling of incompleteness, revulsion which makes the person choose breast reconstruction. This is not only from the cosmetic point of view but is also to give symmetry to the body, to regain self-confidence and to balance the body. The surgeon chosen should be a suitable one and the patient has to find out all the relevant details of the surgery before she undergoes it. She should ask the surgeon and reassure herself that she is doing the right thing in opting for breast reconstruction.

Once the radiation, chemotherapy and other tests and checkups are over, the woman may choose to have her breast reconstructed. Sometimes, the procedure may begin during the breast removal surgery so that there need not be two surgeries. A temporary tissue expander is inserted which will increase the tissue to the desired level and then it is replaced by the implant. Both of them are made of smooth material and filled with saline or silica gel. The tissue expander may double up as the implant once the port is removed. The breast should look like the other one; otherwise the healthy breast will need to have plastic surgery to be a replica of the reconstructed breast.

A nipple will also have to be created. Instead of using a skin expander at the site of the breast, it may be used on the back or any other place to grow more skin, which can then be grafted at the breast site, and the breast reconstructed with an implant. One has to be realistic and know that a reconstructed breast can never be like the original one and that the procedure may be accompanied by pain or discomfort, which can be cured. However, the sensation and feelings of the reconstructed breast will not be like the original one.