Breast cancer is never an easy diagnosis and the journey toward healing is just as tough. However, breast reconstruction offers many breast cancer survivors the chance to return to some sense of normalcy after a long transition. Breast reconstruction surgery helps restore one or both breast(s) that may have been removed fully or partially after a mastectomy or lumpectomy. Studies have shown that breast reconstruction helps restore patients’ self-esteem which is beneficial in the overall breast cancer recovery process.
However, there is more than one type of breast reconstruction surgery . For almost 30 years, Dr. Franklyn Elliott has been researching, developing, and performing breast reconstruction to help women achieve a proportional and feminine silhouette after breast cancer surgery. As a contributing developer of the TRAM flap method of breast reconstruction and an educator at heart, Dr. Elliott explains the differences between immediate and delayed breast reconstruction surgeries below.
The first element in breast reconstruction is whether to reconstruct the breast immediately after the mastectomy has taken place or to wait until later. Whether you can or should undergo immediate breast reconstruction depends on many factors including whether radiation would be required after breast cancer surgery and the fact that the entire surgical procedure would be long and require a longer recovery as opposed to mastectomy alone.
Immediate reconstruction offers many advantages including more natural-looking cosmetic results because the skin surrounding the breast tissue can often be used to cover an inserted implant. It can also help decrease the risk of social and emotional difficulties. With the delayed procedure, patients need to heal before reconstruction is performed, leaving them without breasts for weeks to months. Some patients may have a harder time handling the effects of breast cancer without reconstruction.
Delayed reconstruction can also be advantageous depending on the patient’s individual situation. For those who may require additional cancer therapy after a mastectomy, the reconstruction site is most often left unharmed. Many patients choose delayed reconstruction to give them more time to research and deliberate their breast reconstruction options. Though cosmetic results are often not as good as with immediate reconstruction and delaying your procedures means another surgery and more recovery time, this option can benefit certain patients.
Breast reconstruction results vary by case, but studies have shown that women who choose to undergo breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery have an easier time adjusting to life after cancer. For more information on breast reconstruction make sure to stay tuned for our upcoming blogs. You can also contact our office to schedule a consultation. For the latest in breast cancer and reconstruction news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
