Breast reconstruction after cancer surgery has changed drastically over the past several years. More options are now available to women that will give them the natural looking breasts they both want and deserve. And thanks to thoughtful legislation, reconstruction of the breasts after cancer is a right and not just a privilege. All insurance companies must cover reconstructive surgery. Breast augmentation surgery can be one option. Another is tissue harvesting from other parts of the body.

During your consultation and pre-surgery visits, your reconstructive plastic surgeon will help you choose which option is best for your situation. If you are electing to have breast augmentation implants, then they are usually inserted through the scar that already exists from your prior surgery. If it is necessary, a breast lift on the unaffected breast is performed using a short scar technique. This will allow symmetry between the affected breast and the normal breast. At this point, other reconstructive options include areola and nipple reconstruction, areola and nipple tattooing and subtle fine tuning of the breasts to make them look as symmetrical and natural as possible.

There are typically two stages of reconstruction. The initial stage is the breast mound reconstruction. There are several ways in which this can be performed during this first stage. Encouraging new skin growth in the area that will be implanted is the key so that there is eventually room for a permanent implant to be placed. This can be done in combination with other types of reconstruction which involve the transfer of skin from an area of the body to the breast mound. Once the breast mound has been reconstructed, the nipple can then be reconstructed. This is done by either sculpting or tattooing. If one breast was removed during the cancer treatment, the remaining breast can be reduced to create more symmetry, or breast augmentation implants can be matched. A breast lift is also an option, and can make the breasts more symmetrical.

Because of cancer and undergoing a mastectomy, the loss of one or both breasts can be a devastating situation for a woman and her family. Yet breast reconstruction procedures have advanced, and most people will not even be aware that a person has undergone a mastectomy in the first place. Breast augmentations and tissue harvesting are just a couple ways to bring normalcy back into the life of a woman who has undergone cancer surgery.

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