What Can I Expect During a Breast Reconstruction Consultation?
The American Cancer Society estimates that about 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed this year. Alongside skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States. After being diagnosed with breast cancer, women have many options for treatment, including various types of mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation. After treatment, many women are left with the desire to rebuild breasts with breast reconstruction. A consultation for breast reconstruction in the presence of just realizing you have breast cancer can be quite daunting. However, board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Franklyn Elliott frequently works alongside breast cancer patients to help provide options for breast reconstruction and aid in deciding the best procedure for your individual needs.
During a consultation, the vast amount of information that a patient wants to know about breast reconstruction should be matched by answers provided by your chosen plastic surgeon. Generally, what you should expect from a breast reconstruction consultation is to learn every aspect of the options available to you. Dr. Elliott firmly believes in presenting all available options rather than putting the option he believes is most suitable foremost. For example, may be better suited for a TRAM flap operation (which utilizes a portion of a woman’s abdominal fat, muscle, and skin to reconstruct a breast) over a breast implant operation and vice versa, but regardless you should have both presented to you as viable options.
Dr. Elliott offers many options for reconstruction, including the aforementioned TRAM flap procedure along with latissimus dorsi flap and DIEP flap options. Additionally, Dr. Elliott offers the use of a tissue expander for those who wish to have larger breasts than they did before their breast cancer surgery. FDA-approved breast implants can also be used to augment the breast and are available in saline, silicone, or “gummy bear” implants made of highly cohesive silicone gel.
When meeting with your plastic surgeon for a breast reconstruction consultation, the most important thing to do is to ask thorough questions and address any concerns so you have full understanding of all options before making the life-changing decision of undergoing breast reconstruction. From time to time, Dr. Elliott has seen this take more than one visit, which is completely acceptable and encouraged to help the patient have a full understanding of breast surgery and what lies ahead. Regardless of the decision made, Dr. Elliott values caring for and helping his patients in understanding every step of the surgical process.
To learn about more about breast reconstruction procedures offered, please contact our office. Be sure to stay connected with Dr. Elliott on Facebook, Twitter, and Google + for the latest plastic surgery news and updates.