The objective of a breast reconstruction is to give back to the woman the breast or breasts that had to be removed because of cancer, giving her back all her anatomy, especially in such a feminine and important part for women. The new aspect of the breasts can be even more aesthetic than the original one if the intervention is performed by an expert plastic surgeon, although it undoubtedly depends on the type of extirpation and the complementary treatment that has been performed.
A Plastic Surgeon expert in breast reconstruction must be able to reconstruct a breast. He must do it unless the general condition of the patient contraindicates the intervention, or the patient also has a total lack, due to accidents or concomitant diseases, of the tissues necessary for the reconstruction (which is extremely unlikely).
Techniques for breast reconstruction
There are several techniques, some simpler and others more complex. The Plastic Surgeon who attends the mastectomized woman must know how to perform all of them with sufficient experience, so that the chances of success are not diminished.
If the patient has not undergone radiotherapy, uncomplicated reconstruction techniques can be performed, such as the placement of breast prostheses or the injection of adipose tissue from another location of the patient. On the other hand, if the patient has received radiotherapy, it is advisable to perform more complex techniques so that the result is satisfactory. There are two of them: reconstruction with Latisimus Dorsi flap, in which the back muscle is disinserted with a large cutaneous island and is passed to the thoracic area inside the armpit and then given volume. The second is breast reconstruction by DIEP, where microsurgery is performed by suturing small vessels from the abdominal area to the thoracic area with the help of a microscope.
Recovery after breast reconstruction
Depending on the intervention performed, the patient will take more or less time to recover. In the implantation of a prosthesis, expander or fat infiltration it takes about two weeks, while in the reconstruction with Latisimo or DIEP, recovery is about a month.