Q. I’ve heard there are lots of different choices for reconstruction. Can you summarize the basics?
A. Sure. They boil down to two main choices, each with a number of variations.
• Implant: This is by far the most common procedure women have to build a new breast. A silicone or saline-filled sack is placed behind your chest muscles, then muscle and skin are pulled over the sack and the incision closed up.
• Autologous (body tissue) reconstruction: Part of your body (muscle and/or fat) is surgically “rearranged” into the space left by your mastectomy; or part of your body is cut off, moved, and reattached at the site of your mastectomy. In either case, skin is pulled over the muscle/fat and sewn closed.
Next Reconstruction FAQ: What's the Best Kind of Reconstruction?
Next Breast Cancer Comics: Body Tissue Reconstruction in a Nutshell
Back to Start: What Are My Choices After Mastectomy?
