To mark Pink October, breast cancer screening month, we thought it was important to talk about breast reconstruction after breast cancer. It’s a delicate but essential subject that comes up in breast cancer cases. It should be discussed at the first consultation with the oncologist and offered to all patients. Women who opt for reconstruction after non-conservative breast surgery do so for a number of reasons: to regain their femininity, their self-confidence damaged by the disease, the harmony of their breasts and the physical balance of their bodies.
When is breast reconstruction appropriate?
Breast cancer can affect one in eight women. In some cases, removal of the affected breast is necessary. This mark left by the disease is far from inevitable, since it is now possible to call on reconstruction. Several techniques exist; Breast reconstruction reconstructs the volume of the missing breast, symmetrizes the contralateral breast and reconstructs the areola and nipple.
In most cases, two operations are required, with a three-month delay between the two.
A choice, not an obligation
Every woman develops a unique relationship with her body. When breast cancer occurs, one of the many questions that arises is inevitably that of reconstruction of the affected breast. Some patients do not feel the need to replace the breast that has now disappeared. Others, on the other hand, decide to do so for a number of reasons: to turn their backs on the disease by replacing the missing breast, to avoid having to wear an external prosthesis, to regain control of their physique and regain their seductive power and self-confidence.
Immediate or deferred reconstruction
In some cases, reconstruction can be carried out at the same time as the mastectomy (removal of the breast), in what is known as immediate reconstruction. Current techniques are sufficiently advanced to allow the surgeon, who is also skilled in plastic surgery, to reconstruct the diseased breast immediately after removal, in the same operation;In some cases, reconstruction can be carried out at the same time as the mastectomy (removal of the breast), in what is known as immediate reconstruction. Current techniques are sufficiently advanced to allow the surgeon, who is also skilled in plastic surgery, to reconstruct immediately after removal of the diseased breast, in the same operation.
The advantage of immediate reconstruction is that women are not left without breasts and do not have to return to the operating theatre after an initial operation that has been sufficiently stressful.
However, in some cases, particularly when additional radiotherapy is required or if the tumour is very large, doctors decide to wait until the end of treatment before reconstructing the breast. This reconstruction requires further surgery, and is known as “deferred” or “secondary” reconstruction.
Delayed reconstruction allows the patient to concentrate on her treatment, to avoid additional pressure and to “mourn” the loss of the breast that has always been part of her body.
What form of reconstruction?
There are two forms of breast reconstruction after non-conservative surgery: internal prosthesis and flap. Whichever option is chosen, reconstruction involves several operations (usually two or three), in order to treat each component of the breast separately, i.e. its volume, harmony with the other breast and, finally, the areola and nipple. Each operation is performed three to six months apart.
The first, using an internal prosthesis, involves fitting a breast implant. The second, using a flap, involves taking tissue from other parts of the body (the greater dorsal or rectus abdominis) and grafting it in place to restore the breast’s appearance. The two techniques can be used alone or in combination, depending on a number of criteria to be determined with the doctor.
OCTOBRE ROSE 2015: Screening for breast cancer early
Early detection of cancer considerably increases the chances of successful treatment. It is based on two main elements: education in early diagnosis and screening. Get yourself screened every year from the age of 40.
Breast reconstruction in Mauritius
If you would like a consultation for breast reconstruction in Mauritius, we invite you to make an appointment now for a consultation with your Aesthetic, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery professional.
