Breast Reconstruction

If your breast cancer treatment includes surgery, you might choose breast reconstruction surgery as a way to restore the shape and look of your breast.

Not every breast cancer patient opts for reconstruction surgery, but if you choose it, our experienced, board-certified plastic surgeons will work with you to evaluate your best options and answer any questions, from how to coordinate the procedure around radiation and infusion treatments to how long recovery should take.

How Breast Reconstruction Works

There are different types of breast reconstruction surgery, depending on the type of procedure used to remove the cancer.

If you opt for breast implants – made of saline or silicone - to reconstruct the shape of your breast, it can be done as part of the cancer surgery or started during that surgery and completed in a separate procedure later. There are two kinds of implants. Both have a silicone shell, but are filled with either saline (sterile saltwater) or silicone gel.

Reconstruction Using Your Body Tissue

Surgeons can rebuild the shape of your breast after cancer surgery using tissue from other parts of your body such as your back, buttocks or thighs to rebuild the breast shape.

Called a tissue-flap procedure or autologous tissue reconstruction, this procedure results in a more natural feeling and looking breast because the tissue is your own. If you are interested in this procedure, your surgeon will evaluate you to determine if you’re eligible.

More About Breast Reconstruction