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Reconstruction of a breast that has been removed due to cancer or other disease is one of the most rewarding surgical procedures available today. New medical techniques and devices allow Dr. Taylor to create a breast that can come close in form and appearance to matching a natural breast. Most mastectomy patients are medically appropriate for reconstruction; many reconstructions can be performed at the same time that the breast is removed. The best candidates, however, are women whose cancer, as far as can be determined, seems to have been eliminated by the mastectomy. Dr. Taylor may advise you to wait to have a reconstruction of the breast, particularly if the breast is being rebuilt with a complicated procedure. Women with other health conditions, such as obesity, high blood pressure, or smoking, may also be advised to wait for some time after the mastectomy. Breast reconstruction usually involves more than one operation. Normally, the first stage of reconstruction involves the creation of the breast mound. This surgery is almost always performed using general anesthesia, so you’ll sleep through the entire operation. The first stage, whether done at the same time as the mastectomy or later on, is performed in an operating room. The procedures might be performed as an outpatient in a hospital surgery area or with an overnight stay in the hospital. Follow-up procedures may require only a local anesthesia in the office, an outpatient surgery in a hospital surgery area, or hospital surgery with an overnight stay in the hospital. If an implant is required, Dr. Taylor normally uses a silicone shell filled with salt water. Frequently a special procedure, known as a "flap procedure," can be performed to bring tissue in from the lower abdomen or back area to reconstruct the breast, which avoids the need for any implants. This procedure can frequently be done at the time the breast is removed, or it also can be done at a later date. There are a number of issues involved in planning for a post-mastectomy breast reconstruction, and Dr. Taylor would be glad to discuss fully these and the reconstructive options available to you during a consultation appointment. Also see Illustrations provided by the American Society of
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons.
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