What type of breast reconstruction is best for me?
Your doctor will be able to tell you which type of reconstruction is more appropriate in your case after examining you.
There are various breast reconstruction techniques that help us deliver the best results for our patients. Before the surgery, your doctor will take you through all the available options and help you select the most appropriate type of reconstruction for your case.
There are two major types of breast reconstructive surgery
The factors in choosing the best type of breast reconstruction for a woman, usually are:
Our typical technique is called the flap technique and it involves creating the breast mound by using the patient’s own fat, skin, and muscle.
Flap surgery uses the patient’s own tissue to reconstruct the breast and the result is larger, natural-feeling, softer breasts. With the flap surgery, the reconstructed breasts age the same way as the natural ones. The patient needs to have enough tissue available to donate, from her abdomen, thigh, or buttock.
The implant is the most common form of breast reconstruction, the breasts are rebuilt using silicone or saline implants. The procedure is performed in two steps. First, the surgeon will place a tissue expander underneath the pectoralis muscle in the chest, the expander is slowly filled with saline so that the muscle and skin gradually stretch out. After this process, which takes around 6-8 weeks, the surgeon removes the expander and puts the final implant in its place. The best candidates for breast reconstructive surgery using implants are smaller, thinner women.
Fuller-breasted women can also have implant reconstruction, but in case of a unilateral mastectomy, the surgeon would need to perform a reduction on the natural breast to achieve symmetry with the implant.
Source: https://www.cedars-sinai.edu/