Breast Reconstruction After a Mastectomy

Most women who have had a mastectomy choose to undergo breast reconstruction surgery. Breast reconstruction can either be done at the same time as the mastectomy, or after recovery from a mastectomy. If you are preparing for a mastectomy, ask your plastic surgeon when you should schedule your breast reconstruction surgery.

The Breast Reconstruction Procedure
Breast reconstruction is often done under general anesthesia, which means that you’ll be asleep during your breast reconstruction procedure. Sometimes, it’s done under local anesthesia with IV sedation, which means that you’ll be awake, but sedated. Ask your plastic surgeon about your anesthesia options during your breast reconstruction pre-surgical consultation.

Some women don’t have enough skin tissue left after a mastectomy to cover and support a breast implant. If you don’t have enough breast tissue for breast reconstruction, a flap technique or tissue expansion will be used.

Flap Techniques
There are 3 types of flap techniques:

1. TRAM (transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous) flap (uses muscle, fat, and skin from your stomach to reconstruct the breast)
2. Latissimus dorsi flap (uses muscle, fat, and skin from your back)
3. A DIEP or SGAP flap (uses tissue, but not muscle, from your stomach or buttocks)

Once the flap technique is completed, a breast implant will be inserted to reconstruct your breast.

Tissue Expansion
Tissue expansion stretches your skin so that there is enough tissue to cover your breast implant. Tissue expansion takes 4-6 months, which is much longer than the flap techniques; however, the actual breast reconstruction surgery will be less extensive. With tissue expansion, an expander is implanted under the skin, then filled to expand the skin. This type of breast reconstruction requires several office visits. After the tissue has been expanded, the tissue expander is removed and replaced with a breast implant, unless the expander is designed to serve as a permanent breast implant.

Breast Reconstruction Recovery Garments
After your breast reconstruction procedure, you will need to wear a compression garment for several weeks. Breast reconstruction support garments help improve circulation and reduce swelling, which decreases breast reconstruction recovery time. Breast reconstruction recovery garments stabilize your implant(s) and keep them in place; otherwise, they tend to rise.

Go to the Contour® Web site to purchase your breast reconstruction compression garment(s). ContourMD® has 25 years of experience designing comfortable, premium quality post-surgical compression garments. Garment options for breast reconstruction include augmentation bandeaus, post-surgical bras, and compression vests. Ask your doctor which type(s) you should get.

Since you’ll have to wear a compression garment continuously for several weeks, you may want to have more than one on hand.