BREAST RECONSTRUCTION
BREAST CANCER
Unfortunately, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. On average, one out of every 8-9 women in their lifetime develops breast cancer.
MASTECTOMY
These surgeries performed by general surgery physicians are the procedures of removing all or part of your breast tissues containing cancerous tissue from the body. Reconstruction of tissue loss that develops after removal of breast tissues due to a tumor or other disease is one of the most successful surgeries of plastic surgery. These surgeries not only create a new mammary gland, but also greatly improve a woman’s self-gaze, self-confidence and quality of life. The results of creating breasts can be quite natural in terms of appearance and sense; however, a reconstructed breast will never look like the breast taken and will not give the same feeling. When can you consider this surgery? You can start discussing reconstruction from the moment your cancer diagnosis is made. Ideally, your general surgeon and plastic surgeon plan your surgery together.
EARLY BREAST REPAIR
Reconstruction surgery is performed at the same time during mastectomy surgery for breast cancer. This treatment timing can be chosen if it is certain that the tissues from cancer are completely removed, considering your future additional treatments for cancer.
LATE BREAST REPAIR
Breast repair is carried out weeks, months or even years after the completion of your cancer treatment.
Breast Reconstruction Options
Patient-Specific Treatment; Each treatment should be unique to the patient and suitable for the patient. Therefore:
Your health and lifestyle
Your body type,
Your breast size,
The amount of tissue and skin you have left and
Your personal preference
All these things are considered when selecting the method.
USING BACK MUSCLE IN BREAST RECONSTRUCTION
During this procedure, a piece of skin and muscle is removed from our back or under your arm, bringing it to the breast area where it is used to repair your breasts. Since the skin and muscle on your back are normally quite thin, this method is often used with a breast implant to give your new breasts a fuller shape.
BREAST RECONSTRUCTION WITH THE USE OF ABDOMEN TISSUES (TRAM FLAP)
It is one of the options for patients whose abdominal tissues are suitable or who do not want to
create a breast with prosthesis. The TRAM FLAP (transverse rectus abdominus musculocutaneous flap) uses fat, skin, and muscle taken from a woman’s abdomen to reconstruct the breast. The transported tissues are shaped and transformed into breast busts.
BREAST RECONSTRUCTION WITH PROSTHESIS
The most commonly used technique is to first expand the skin with a different application and then place a permanent prosthesis in the created area. In this surgery, a tissue expander is first placed under the chest wall to expand the skin in your breast area. After approximately a few months, after sufficient expansion of your skin, a tissue expander is removed with a secondary surgery and a more permanent prosthesis is inserted. Some tissue expanders are designed to be left on permanently.
OTHER OPTIONS THAT CAN BE USED IN BREAST RECONSTRUCTION
OTHER TISSUE TRANSPLANTATIONS
If the tissues usually used are not suitable, they are usually tissue transplants that can be stored with laundry from other parts of the body are carried by microsurgery methods and breast tissue is tried to be created.
FAT INJECTION
Fat tissue taken from other parts of the body is transferred to the breast area after undergoing certain procedures. It is usually not possible to carry enough fat tissue to form an average breast volume. This method is mostly used for minor post-surgery corrections or auxiliary treatments in patients where a small part of the breast is removed.
CREATION OF THE NIPPLE
It is the final stage in the creation of breasts. It is applied when the breast touch is formed and finalized by the appropriate method and asymmetry is removed with the opposite breast. It is usually performed with local anesthesia, which does not require the patient to sleep. The creation of areola, which is the colored part of the nipple and surrounding area, can also be performed with one or two surgeries according to preference.
BREAST EQUALIZATION
Several surgeries are required for breast reconstruction. The first surgeries are the most difficult; second surgeries are easier. These include removing the tissue expander and placing a prosthesis or reconstruction of the nipple and areola. Most often, the normal breast may need to be slightly reduced, lifted, or enlarged in order for the newly made breast to adapt to the opposite normal breast. However, it should be kept in mind that scars are also formed in these surgeries.
RISKS
Unsuccessful surgery and tissue loss are the most feared problems and are possible in these surgeries as in any surgery. Apart from this, small wound healing problems, delay of wound healing, post-surgery pain are usually problems that can be easily treated.
HEALING DURATION
It may take an average of 6 weeks to return to your normal daily life after simultaneous breast repair with mastectomy (breast removal) or only tissue and breast repair surgery. In prosthesis surgery, this period may be shorter. The tissue created by reconstruction does not have a normal sense; however, some sense may come over time. Most of the time, the scars may fade wither, or they may become more pronounced by swelling and blushing. In this case, additional treatments will be required for your scars. Although the tracks usually fade and become less pronounced in a few years, the traces never disappear completely.
PATIENT SATISFACTION
Remember that these surgeries are applied to give you a more comfortable life and they are surgeries with high success rates and patient satisfaction…
