Breast reconstruction surgery can vary for women who have undergone a full mastectomy. When mastectomy patients have received the procedure due to tumors, BRCA mutation prevention, or any other factors, the first step for your surgeon is to make sure your health is intact when removing the breasts. This can result in a more difficult reconstructive surgery, as the area becomes too sensitive to sustain the standard reconstructive procedure.
Below, we’ve listed out a comprehensive list of differences between what breast reconstruction is like for women with breasts vs. reconstructive surgery for women without breasts. If you’re looking to find a talented surgeon for an implant reconstruction in Austin, contact the highly recommended team at the Breast Institute of Austin today!
Breast Reconstructive Surgery for Women Without Breasts
If you have had a mastectomy, your chest has been severely altered biologically. However, it is not uncommon for mastectomy patients to want the look and feel of natural breasts following their surgery, so an alternative procedure has been created for these patients specifically. Because of the anatomical trauma your chest has endured, implants take longer to surgically place. This is because your doctor will want to be completely sure that your body is prepped for the weight of breast implants, and that the skin, vessels and muscles around your chest can sustain the additionally mass.
During a mastectomy, breasts and skin that connects your upper abdomen and collarbone to your chest has decreased significantly, as the procedure requires your surgeon to close the areas that were operated on. This can sometimes even require a flap of skin that has been taken from another area of the body. Because of this, your skin is delicate and sensitive, and to ensure that the final implant will be placed effectively and without further complications, your surgeon will perform an initial operation to insert an expander. The expander will be a temporary hold for a few weeks, until your blood vessels, skin and muscles have had time to adapt to the new space and have shown that they are capable of holding the extra weight. Once the expander can be removed, your surgeon will schedule another procedure to make the final implant. During this procedure, you will be able to determine how augmented you want the implants to look. If your time with the temporary expander was not as smooth as it could be, consider opting for a small breast size, as that may be an easier transition for your body. Find a great surgeon to perform an implant reconstruction in Austin when you call the Breast Institute of Austin today!
Breast Reconstructive Surgery for Women with Breasts
For patients who are looking to augment their current breast size, the procedure is relatively simple, and it does not require as many appointments or procedures. Technically, this procedure is an augmentation, as a reconstructive breast surgery is defined as a procedure to replace breast appearance for women who have had their natural breasts removed. For women who have breasts, this procedure requires a consultation appointment with your surgeon to establish what areas of your breast you want augmented, as well as decide upon the size of breasts you want for the overall finished look.
Once you have completed an initial consultation, you will schedule the surgery date. On that day, your doctor will use a form of anesthesia for either partial numbing or sleep inducement, and your surgery will last approximately three hours. Following surgery, you will spend that night in the hospital, and get released in the morning after the proper postoperative procedures have been completed. Find out more about available implant reconstruction in Austin by visiting the Breast Institute of Austin today!