Is Breast Reconstruction An Option For You?
Women who are facing a radical mastectomy may also be
looking for a plastic surgeon for reconstruction surgery. The
breast is an intimate part of a woman’s self-esteem and the decision
on whether to have reconstruction surgery is an important one. Many
questions need to be answered before you decide if breast
reconstruction is the right move for you.
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Questions on the safety of silicone implants,
how you will look, when you can have your surgery and many
others may have a bearing on your decision. Reconstruction
will sometimes depend on your age, body type, and the breast
surgery you are having.
Reconstruction surgery can often be done when
the cancer surgery, or it can be done later when you have
had a chance to think about your options. If you decide to
have reconstruction surgery, you will need to talk to a
plastic surgery about the surgery and what you can expect
from it.
Several methods of reconstruction surgery are
available. A woman may have a silicone or saline implant
placed in the breast. Your doctor will help you decide if
silicone implants are safe. They are under review by the
Food and Drug Administration because of problems about
leakage of the silicone. |
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Reconstruction can also be done with transplanted
fat and muscles from other areas of the body such as the back,
buttocks, or the lower abdomen. The surgeon takes these muscles
and fats and creates a breast shape to put on the chest area. A
flap is another way to carry out creating a breast. The skin is
gradually stretched in the chest area to allow any implant that
is being used. After the area has had a chance to heal, a
nipple can be tattooed on the breast to make it more correct.
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There are some cons to having breast
construction surgery. The rebuilt breast will not have the
same sensation as before, and when you have any surgery,
there is always a chance of infection of excessive
bleeding. You may question what you will look like after
surgery, what your scars will look like, and where they will
be. If skin is taken from another part of the body, what
will the effects be at the donor site? Will there be
permanent change at the donor location?
You may want to question how many surgeries
will be needed for breast reconstruction. Will you be able
to return to normal activities, and if so, when? What about
follow-up care, who will take care of you? You also will
want to weigh the risks involved during the surgery and
later.
One last item we may need to think about before
having reconstruction surgery is the cost. |
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You will need to
verify that your insurance provider will cover the cost of this
surgery. Not every woman will decide to have reconstruction
surgery. Many kinds of prosthesis and special undergarments are
made to help women who have had breast cancer surgery. Your
doctor can help you decide if you are a good candidate for
breast reconstruction surgery.
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