Breast Reconstruction
Breast reconstruction is performed on mastectomy patients, allowing women who have lost their breasts due to cancer or other disease to preserve their natural profile and aid in their psychological healing.    Most cases of reconstruction will require more than one operation, but the process can begin right after the mastectomy has been performed.  This can spare the patient some trauma associated with the loss of the breast.

One technique combines gradual expansion of the chest tissue with the use of  a tissue expander.  The expander is inserted beneath the chest wall muscle and skin after mastectomy and is injected with injections of saline solution over a period of weeks.  After the tissue is sufficiently stretched the expander is removed and replaced with a permanent implant.  In some instances a combined expander-implant may be used necessitating only port removal after expansion is complete.  The use of silicone gel implants for breast reconstruction is allowed  with the FDA approved study.  Nipple and areola reconstruction can be performed at a second procedure using local tissue flaps and skin grafts.  Tattooing of the areola may be required. 

An alternative to skin expansion is the flap reconstruction technique.  This involves creation of a tissue flap using skin, fat, and muscle taken from another part of the body such as the abdomen, back, thigh, buttocks, or waist.  The flap is attached to the breast area to build a breast mound or create a pocket for an implant if there is not enough donor tissue.  Flap surgery allows for single stage breast reconstruction, which allows some women to wake up from their mastectomy surgeries with a fully reconstructed breast, rather than having to undergo several stages of reconstructive surgery.  The cosmetic result is enhanced if a skin-sparing mastectomy is performed.  In this new technique the breast is removed through a single incision around the areola without compromising the fundamental goals of breast cancer care. Autologous tissue (tissue from the patient’s own body) is then used to fill the breast skin and replace the nipple area.

The skin-sparing mastectomy offers the patient a cosmetic result that is far superior to the traditional mastectomy without compromising the fundemental goals of breast cancer care