subject: A Guide To Breast Reconstruction Procedures [print this page] When it comes to the idea of needing some kind of surgery to recreate the chest you lost due to an illness such as cancer, you want to know beyond a doubt which breast reconstruction procedures are right for you. Take some time to learn more about the different procedures that are involved so that you can make the best decision as to whether or not to have the surgery and which type to have. Keep in mind that part of what goes into determining what options are available to you is your overall heath, chest size and your surgical goals. Your surgeon will assess your situation and help provide you with more details about your options.
If you are considering implants, this is something that can be done directly after your mastectomy or after some time delays. Depending on how invasive and how much of your bosom was removed from your mastectomy, it may be a bit challenging to place your implants in directly afterwards. When there is extra tightness, your surgeon will use an expander to create pockets for your implants to fit into. If there isn't too much tightness and a good deal of chest tissue still remains after your mastectomy, your surgeon can get the insert placed without any additional work.
If your surgeon needs to use expanders to loosen up your chest for your implants, keep in mind that this process can't be completed in just one sitting. Over the course of six months, your surgeon will place the tissue expanders into the skin underneath your chest. Your surgeon will fill the devices with saline solution which will help to increase the size of the expander and gently stretch your skin. Once the desired pocket size has been created, your surgeon will remove the expanders and place the implant.
If you are not exactly thrilled at the idea of implants, you can always opt for one of the tissue flap breast reconstruction procedures. This method involves your surgeon creating your bosom from removing skin flaps from other parts of your body. Usually the surgeon performs a tummy tuck on the patient and uses the tissue and any excess muscle to design the chest. If there is not enough tissue available to fill out the contours of the breast, your surgeon can use implants as well. Keep in mind that the criteria to be a candidate for the tissue flap method is very stringent. Smoking, obesity and poor circulation can keep this from being an option when you are thinking about breast construction procedures.
Keep in mind that breast reconstruction procedures requires that both parts of the chest to be the same or very similar in size. This means that if you had only a partial mastectomy and you get surgery to reconstruct the side that was removed, if that side is going to be bigger than you previously were, the natural remaining side will need to be augmented so that they are both similar in size and shape.
