Your plastic surgeon will help you choose the type of reconstruction that will give you the best results and fit your lifestyle, while minimizing the risk of complications.
Your breast cancer treatment, your body, your breast shape and your lifestyle affect not only your reconstruction options, but also the pros and cons of your options. Making an informed choiceĮach person is unique. Your plastic surgeon or health care provider may discuss ways to quit smoking and/or lose weight before you have reconstruction.
Sometimes, it’s best to delay breast reconstruction until after quitting smoking or losing weight to lower these risks. If you smoke or are overweight, talk with your plastic surgeon about problems that may occur after surgery with implant or flap procedures, such as delayed wound healing, infection and reconstruction failure. Smokers and women who are overweight have an increased risk of complications for all types of breast reconstructive surgery. Some women with chronic medical conditions or suppressed immune systems may not be good candidates for breast reconstruction. These may not be good options for athletic women or women who rely on those muscles to function. Your lifestyle may affect the type of reconstruction you choose.įor example, some types use muscles from other parts of the body, causing weakness in the area. Your body shape and anatomy may affect the types of breast reconstruction likely to give you the best results.įor example, women with larger breasts may need breast reduction surgery on the opposite, natural breast to create a more even look. It’s important to keep in mind multiple factors determine the best reconstruction method for you, as well as the final result. There are pros and cons to each method.įor example, breast implants require less invasive surgery than procedures using your own body tissues, but the results may look and feel less natural. You may be a good candidate for one reconstruction method, but not another. There’s no one breast reconstruction method that works best for everyone. Natural tissue flaps (using skin, fat and sometimes, muscle from your own body).Breast implants (filled with saline or silicone).Choosing the type of breast reconstruction that’s right for you Learn more about insurance and breast reconstruction.
Costįederal law requires most insurance plans to cover the cost of breast reconstruction after a mastectomy. If you need transportation, lodging, child care or elder care, there may be programs that can help. Follow-up procedures may be done on an outpatient basis. Immediate reconstructions and some delayed reconstructions require a hospital stay for the first procedure. Most breast reconstruction methods involve several steps. This can be a challenge because of the number of follow-up visits needed after reconstruction. You may not live near the hospital where the reconstruction will be done. Possible challenges of breast reconstruction Travel Visit the FORCE website for a photo gallery of images of people who have had breast reconstruction after a mastectomy. Benefits of breast reconstructionīreast reconstruction may help you feel more comfortable about how you look after a mastectomy.Īlthough a reconstructed breast will never match the look or feel (sensation) of your natural breast, this area of plastic surgery continues to improve. Not all women can have immediate reconstruction.ĭiscuss your options with your plastic surgeon, breast surgeon and oncologist (and your radiation oncologist if you are having radiation therapy).