Answers To Commonly Asked Questions Regarding Breast Reconstruction Surgery

Getting diagnosed with breast cancer can be a terrifying experience. Not only do you have to process this diagnosis, but you also have to make a major decision, which is undergoing either a lumpectomy or a mastectomy, depending on how far cancer has spread. Certainly, this can be entirely overwhelming, as the only way to get on the mend would be having to wilfully deform the affected breast.

However, medical advances have ensured that patients do not have to diminish their quality of life simply because they have to undergo life-saving treatments. Once the cancer is out, you can deliberate on breast reconstruction surgery to restore the form and function of your breast. If this is an unfamiliar surgery, you likely have a multitude of questions about what to expect. To help you with that, this piece answers the most commonly asked questions regarding breast reconstruction surgery.

Are breast implants the only option available?

Unquestionably, one of the foremost concerns of breast reconstruction surgery is that implants will be the only solution available to them. But this is incorrect. The reality is that there are a few options available, but your course of reconstruction will largely be determined by the type of surgery that you underwent. For instance, a lumpectomy entails the removal of the cancerous tumor, and this will lead to losing a bit of breast tissue.

In this instance, a majority of the breast tissue is still intact, so the cosmetic surgeon may find reshaping the breast is the best way forward. Alternatively, a mastectomy involves the removal of the entire breast. Thus, a new breast will have to be reconstructed from scratch. You will then choose between having an implant inserted or utilizing your tissue to create a new breast, usually from belly fat, which is referred to as flap surgery.

Does breast reconstruction surgery have to be performed right away?

The second presumption that some people have is that they have to schedule breast reconstruction surgery right after they have undergone a lumpectomy or a mastectomy. Thus, they do not give themselves sufficient time to recover from their first surgery. The truth, though, is that there is no timeframe for when reconstructive surgery would stop being a viable option for you. Nonetheless, there are several pros and cons of having surgery immediately and putting it off for several months or years.

To begin with, when you choose to have breast reconstructive surgery right after your initial surgery, the surgeon can save your nipple and your original breast's skin, and this works to ensure the reconstructed breast looks as natural as possible. Conversely, when you wait a while before undergoing reconstructive surgery, you get a considerable amount of time to process losing your breast and weigh your options, so you are less likely to feel like you made a hasty decision.

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