Breast Cancer (cont.)
What about breast reconstruction?
Some women who plan to have a mastectomy decide to have breast
reconstruction. Other women prefer to wear a breast form (prosthesis). Others
decide to do nothing. All of these options have pros and cons. What is right for
one woman may not be right for another. What is important is that nearly every
woman treated for breast cancer has choices.
Breast reconstruction may be done at the same time as the mastectomy, or
later on. If you are thinking about breast reconstruction, you should talk to a
plastic surgeon before the mastectomy, even if you plan to have your
reconstruction later on.
There are many ways to reconstruct the breast. Some women choose to have
implants. Implants may be made of saline or silicone. The safety of silicone
breast implants has been under review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
for several years. If you are thinking about having silicone implants, you may
want to talk with your doctor about the FDA findings. Your doctor can tell you
if silicone implants are an option. You also can read information from the FDA
on breast implants at http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants/.
You also may have breast reconstruction with tissue that the plastic surgeon
moves from another part of your body. Skin, muscle, and fat can come from your
lower abdomen, back, or buttocks. The surgeon uses this tissue to create a
breast shape.
Which type of reconstruction is best depends on your age, body type, and the
type of surgery you had. The plastic surgeon can explain the risks and benefits
of each type of reconstruction.
You may want to ask your doctor these questions about breast reconstruction:
- What is the latest information about the safety of silicone breast
implants?
- Which type of surgery would give me the best results? How will I
look afterward?
- When can my reconstruction begin?
- How many surgeries will I
need?
- What are the risks at the time of surgery? Later?
- Will I have scars?
Where? What will they look like?
- If tissue from another part of my body is
used, will there be any permanent changes where the tissue was removed?
- What
activities should I avoid? When can I return to my normal activities?
- Will I
need follow-up care?
- How much will reconstruction cost? Will my health
insurance pay for it?
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