Gynecology General Gynecology

Breast reconstruction Wikipedia

Breast reconstruction is the rebuilding of a breast, usually in woman|women. It involves using existing flesh or prosthesis|prosthetic material to construct a natural-looking breast. Often this even includes the reformation of a natural-looking areola and nipple. This procedure may involve the use of breast implant|implants.

Though this procedure was recently out of the question after surgery|surgical procedures such as mastectomy, this type of cosmetic surgery is becoming more common. Though most health plans cover the cost for this operation in the United States|US, some do not, considering it to be cosmetic; paying for this procedure oneself may be very costly. However, most plans do cover this procedure as the cost may outweigh the converse cost of Psychotherapy|counseling for the individual as they try to cope with the emotional adjustment of losing a breast.

For individuals who have undergone a mastectomy due to cancer, they are only eligible for this procedure if the disease was eliminated due to the breast removal. It is possible for this procedure to be carried out immediately following the mastectomy, so the individual awakes with the newly formed breast already in place. As with many other procedures, those with high blood pressure, obesity|obese individuals or those who smoking|smoke are poor candidates for this operation.

Breast reconstruction is a large undertaking. Most procedures take several operations. Sometimes these follow-up surgeries are spread out over weeks or months. If an implant is used, the individual runs the same risks and complications as those who use them for breast augmentation.

There are many methods for breast reconstruction. The two most common are:

• Skin expansion By far the most common method, the surgeon inserts a small balloon expander beneath the skin and periodically, over weeks or months, injects a saline (medicine)|saline solution to slowly expand the overlaying skin (see tissue expansion). Once the expander has reached an acceptable size, it may be removed and replaced with a more permanent implant. Reconstruction of the areola and nipple are performed in a separate operation after the skin has stretched to its final size.

Recovery from skin expansion is generally faster than with flap reconstruction, but both take three to six weeks to recover from and both require follow-up surgeries in order to construct a new areola and nipple. Most scars will not disappear completely, but the better the quality of the reconstruction, the less noticeable and distracting the scars will be. All recipients of these operations should refrain from strenuous sports, overhead lifting and human sexual behavior|sexual activity during the recovery period (three to six weeks).

See also breast reduction

• http://www.plasticsurgery.org/public_education/procedures/BreastReconstruction.cfm Breast Reconstruction Following Breast Removal from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons

Last Modified:   2005-12-19