Breast Reconstruction Surgery
All soft-tissue surgery (the mastectomy and breast reconstruction) will leave areas of numbness where the surgery was performed. Instead of feeling pain where the tissue was taken, you may feel numbness and tightness. The same is true of the reconstruction site. In time, some feeling may return to the breasts. Most scars will fade over time.
Regular checkups will be required at first. If you have a temporary expander implanted, it will be expanded with saline once a week, on average, until the desired size is obtained (usually within six to 10 office visits). The shape of the reconstructed breast will gradually improve over the months following the reconstruction.
After breast reconstruction, breasts should still be examined every month. Many centers will not perform mammography on reconstructed breasts, however, so discuss screening procedures with your doctor.
Breast reconstruction has no bearing on cancer recurrence and generally does not interfere with chemotherapy. Radiation treatment usually is given before breast reconstruction.
A recurrence of cancer can still be treated by any of the standard treatment methods, which include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. In addition, reconstruction rarely, if at all, hides or obscures a local recurrence of the cancer under or around the reconstructed breast.
Breast Reconstruction Surgery
In this article
- Breast Implants
- Complications of Reconstructive Surgery
- How Long Does Breast Cancer Surgery and Reconstruction Last?
- What Is Recovery From Surgery Like in the Hospital?
- Nipple and Areola Reconstruction
- What Happens After Breast Reconstruction Surgery?
What Happens After Breast Reconstruction Surgery? continued...
All soft-tissue surgery (the mastectomy and breast reconstruction) will leave areas of numbness where the surgery was performed. Instead of feeling pain where the tissue was taken, you may feel numbness and tightness. The same is true of the reconstruction site. In time, some feeling may return to the breasts. Most scars will fade over time.
Regular checkups will be required at first. If you have a temporary expander implanted, it will be expanded with saline once a week, on average, until the desired size is obtained (usually within six to 10 office visits). The shape of the reconstructed breast will gradually improve over the months following the reconstruction.
After breast reconstruction, breasts should still be examined every month. Many centers will not perform mammography on reconstructed breasts, however, so discuss screening procedures with your doctor.
Breast reconstruction has no bearing on cancer recurrence and generally does not interfere with chemotherapy. Radiation treatment usually is given before breast reconstruction.
A recurrence of cancer can still be treated by any of the standard treatment methods, which include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. In addition, reconstruction rarely, if at all, hides or obscures a local recurrence of the cancer under or around the reconstructed breast.
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