What You Should Know About Breast Reconstruction

by Brent Woods

When you have had the unfortunate experience of dealing with breast cancer, you may have a difficult time seeing the light at the end of the tunnel where you will be cancer-free and ready to focus your thoughts and energy on something else. However, once you have overcome your breast cancer, you may find yourself considering whether or not to get breast reconstruction surgery. Before you make your final decision about breast reconstruction surgery, you should get to know some of the important facts about breast reconstruction so that you can be sure you are making the best possible decision for yourself and your situation.

Breast Reconstruction Is About More Than Breast Size

Many people think that breast reconstructions are essentially the same as getting elective breast implants. Because of this, many women may feel uneasy or apprehensive about going through breast reconstruction because they fear that they will be perceived as vain or will seem to preoccupied with breast size.

However, breast reconstruction is about far more than just breast size. Many women feel a sense of loss when they go through mastectomies and other breast cancer treatments. A reconstructive surgery may not completely reverse that feeling, but can do much to help a woman feel more like herself again. If you have such feelings or would like to get back to feeling and looking like pre-cancer self, that is reason enough to schedule an appointment for breast reconstruction.

Breast Reconstruction Can Include Tissue Transfers

Another common misconception about breast reconstruction is that it done entirely using artificial materials and implants. This does not have to be the case though. Breast reconstruction surgeries can include what is known as tissue transfers.

A tissue transfer involves taking fat and/or skin cells from elsewhere in the body and implanting them into the breast area. Previously, many women and doctors worried that these fat injections and transfers of natural tissue could increase the chance that cancer will recur in the breast tissue.

However, research has shown that this is not the case and fat injections do not, in fact, increase the likelihood that a person suffers a recurrence of breast cancer. Natural tissue transfers can also help the reconstruction to look and feel more natural. Many women prefer these tissue transfer reconstructions even though additional incisions are required to collect the transfer tissue, and the recovery time is longer.

Now that you know more of the facts about breast reconstruction, you can better decide if this is the right choice for you now that you have overcome your breast cancer. Contact a local doctor, like Sam W Huddleston IV, MD, to get started.


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