Breast reconstruction surgery: what are the different options?

So, I need a mastectomy - shall I have a reconstruction?

So, you have just received the shocking news that you need a mastectomy. Once the information has settled, maybe on another day, your doctor and breast care nurse will have a range of options and informative booklets for you.

In her latest online article, leading oncoplastic breast surgeon Miss Sascha Dua lays things out exactly the way she does in the clinic. The BCN (breast care nurse) may have given you the Breast Cancer Care booklet. There are three basic options and in this article, Miss Dua lays them out for you as simply as if you were sitting in front of her.

What are the different options available? 

Living Flat

Living flat is a good option for many reasons. In essence, it entails eliminating not just your breast tissue but also your nipple and areola, returning your chest to a flat surface. This makes it possible for the BCNs to fit prostheses (fake silicone breast forms) into a specially designed bra (which is now readily accessible) or even a swimming suit. Underneath your clothes, you would find it difficult to know you were flat.

The other advantages of living flat are that the operation to go flat carries the lowest list of complications, and leaves the door open for reconstruction at a later date if you are not ready right now for psychological or medical reasons. There is a website called Flat Friends for women who have chosen to live flat long term that is really fantastic.

Immediate Breast Reconstruction

So again, we remove the breast tissue and take away the nipple and areola, but the difference when doing a reconstruction at the same time as the mastectomy is that we leave the envelope of breast skin.

It’s then just a matter of how we fill the space left behind by the breast. The advantages to having an immediate breast reconstruction are that you wake up having lost a breast but with a mound of implant or flesh that is a semblance of a breast. Psychologically, studies show that this helps women with the sadness associated with losing a breast. It also helps with the recovery.

The downsides are that all kinds of reconstruction involve more surgery and more anaesthetic time, and the risks associated with those. There is also the very real risk of reconstruction failure which can be devastating for the patient. to go from having a reconstruction to going flat, when that was never their intention. All patients having an immediate reconstruction must accept the risk of reconstructive failure.

Implant-Based Reconstruction

This type of reconstruction uses an implant to fill the space left by the mastectomy. It can either be done as an immediate breast reconstruction or as a delayed reconstruction (go flat first and have an implant later).

I will measure you beforehand as there are many sizes and shapes of implants to choose from. We sometimes use a mesh or "matrix" to hold the implant in place.

Sometimes, we use something called an expander which is a temporary implant that can be expanded. This might be useful if the lady wants to go larger, or maybe isn't sure. Some types of implants can stay in as long as regular saline implants whereas some are designed to be the first step in a two-stage plan, where the second stage is swapping the expander for a definitive silicone implant.

The upside of implants is that people tend to be up and about faster as there is no second tummy tuck scar (see below) but people tend to need implant changes every 12-15 years or so.

Own-tissue reconstructions: "tummy-tuck" or "thigh" fat

This can be done again as an immediate reconstruction or delayed, but usually at the same time as the mastectomy. As I do the mastectomy, the plastic surgeon takes fat from the tummy as if doing a tummy tuck. In the space left after the mastectomy, the plastic surgeon immediately fills the space with tummy fat (as if having a tummy tuck) or thigh tissue (as if having a thigh lift).

After years of research, it was discovered that these pieces of fat from certain other parts, have blood vessels that can be joined up with ends left up in the chest. When the two ends have been joined, the fat from the tummy or thigh "takes" in its new position as a pretend "breast". This type of reconstruction is popular as the new breast mound feels warm, is soft and ages similarly to the other side.

Which type of reconstruction should I choose?

Ultimately, the choice is yours, and your surgeon and nurse will advise you.

Some types of reconstruction require you to have a certain BMI for anaesthetic reasons. All sorts of reconstruction tend to do badly in smokers.

Take your time deciding, there are plenty of forums and my plastic surgery team will even introduce you to other patients who have had reconstructions.

Miss Sascha Dua is a renowned oncoplastic breast surgeon based in Essex. If you would like to book a consultation with Miss Dua you can do so today via her Top Doctors profile.