After treatment: breast reconstruction

Breast reconstruction is not necessary right away, nor is it necessary for anything. If radiation is still to follow after surgery, it is often better to postpone plastic surgery. Reconstruction options are always discussed in detail, whether you are hereditary or familial or have had breast cancer.  

Various techniques  

With early detection of breast cancer, complete amputation is often not necessary and removal of the tumor with some surrounding tissue is sufficient. After the procedure, you will have a larger and a smaller breast. Sometimes the cavity is filled with some neighboring tissue or tissue from the axillary region to re-create a nice, round breast. This is done during the same surgery, with the breast surgeon and plastic surgeon at the table together. With large breasts, you may also choose to reduce the size of the healthy breast a bit so that both are symmetrical again.  

With a mastectomy (mastectomy), it is discussed beforehand whether the nipple can remain in situ and only all the breast tissue is removed. It depends, among other things, on exactly where the cancer is located. If additional treatment is planned after surgery, such as radiation or chemo, a temporary inflatable prosthesis (tissue expander) is sometimes inserted at the time of the mastectomy. This temporary prosthesis is filled with fluid and expands the skin in preparation for permanent reconstruction. Such a prosthesis also gives you an immediate curvature.

Breast reconstruction after a mastectomy can be done with a breast prosthesis or with your own tissue.  

A breast prosthesis is a prosthesis filled with silicone that can mimic a natural shape of the breast and is placed under the skin of the original breast. This can be done during the same surgery as the mastectomy or in second time, when an inflatable expander is removed, for example. It is important to know that silicone implants last only 10 to 15 years. After that, they must be replaced.  

When own tissue is used, a tissue flap (consisting of skin and fat, with or without muscle) is prepared from another location on the body. This flap is transplanted to the breast through microsurgical techniques to create a new breast. Such a flap is usually taken from the lower abdomen, inner thigh, lower back (love handle), buttock or back. This is an operation that must be performed very meticulously to avoid as much as possible die-off of the flap. If a thrombosis gets into the flap, the flap dies. But, a flap that grabs well will last a lifetime, unlike a breast prosthesis.  

Plastic surgeons do their best to give women breasts again, but the sensitivity of the reconstructed breast is never the same. Touching the new breast or reconstructed nipple does not arouse feelings of lust.  

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