Breast Reconstruction
✔ Medically reviewed by Dr. Ashutosh Shah — M.B., M.S., M.Ch., D.N.B., Board-Certified Plastic & Cosmetic Surgeon, Director of Elegance Clinic, Surat (22+ years’ experience).
Breast reconstruction is a major type of surgical process that restores the shape of a breast after a mastectomy is performed. Mastectomy is a type of surgery that is done to remove the breast for prevention or during the treatment of breast cancer in which the complete breast or breasts may have to be removed. Breast reconstruction is usually of two types as follows.
- Prosthetics or implants
- Skin flap surgery
Either of these two techniques can be used for breast reconstruction depending on a person’s age and other suitability criteria. There can be a few complications with the reconstruction like bleeding, infection, breast pain, etc. Therefore, it is important to select a good surgeon for the procedure so that the operation gets done without much risk.
The reconstruction process starts with the placement of a tissue expander or breast implant either during mastectomy or at a later period. The procedure will require multiple surgeries even when mastectomy is performed. However, after breast reconstruction, it may take several weeks to recover fully from the operation. Typically, for normal activities to resume, it may take up to six weeks or even more than that.
Breast reconstruction has many advantages as it can help in providing a decent breast contour, avoid the need of an external prosthesis inside the bra, and provide a good symmetry to the breasts so that they can look similar while covered with clothes. It can also help in improving the body image of the person and improve one’s self-confidence. That is why this type of surgery is very highly preferred by breast cancer patients.
