There is a lot to know when it comes to breast reconstruction. Consider a recent article for Sampan titled “Breast cancer and reconstruction: What are the choices?”
According to the author of the article, “It is essential to have an informed discussion with your breast and plastic surgeons before coming to a decision about what type of reconstruction to have. Both reconstruction options are safe and well established in the literature but have their own strengths and weaknesses. Breast implant-based reconstruction involves shorter operations and avoids surgery and potential complications at the donor sites from where flaps are taken. Breast implants are safe and the silicone and shell that make up the implant is regulated and monitored by the federal government. However, implants do not tolerate radiation therapy as well as flaps and tend to scar much worse when radiated. This is why it is important for the breast patient to understand if she is going to get radiation based on the type of cancer she has. Flap-based reconstruction avoids having a foreign body such as an implant placed in a patient’s body. A woman’s own tissue is used to reconstruct her breast. This tissue feels more natural to the woman. However, surgeries involving flaps typically are much longer than those involving implants. The patient is often admitted longer in the hospital with a flap reconstruction than with an implant-based reconstruction, with initial recovery time also being longer. While both options for breast reconstruction are available, choosing one over the other is complicated and should be done under the advice and guidance of your breast and plastic surgeons.”
FOX News also takes a look at breast reconstruction in a recent article titled “Rates of immediate breast reconstruction in US vary by age, race.” The author of the article writes, “Younger white women are most likely to get immediate breast reconstruction when they have a mastectomy for breast cancer, while rates are lower for those over age 45 and those who are not white, according to a new study. ‘We know that breast reconstruction is thankfully gaining momentum, though historically the numbers were very low,’ said lead author Dr. Paris Butler of the University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia. Past research hinted that some breast cancer patients aren’t being referred to plastic surgeons if the primary physician didn’t think they were healthy enough, he said. But race is not an independent predictor of surgical complications, so women of every race should be referred to plastic surgeons equally, he said. ‘We eliminated the misconception that these operations were less safe in women of color,’ Butler told Reuters Health. ‘No woman, unless critically ill, should undergo mastectomy without consultation with a plastic surgeon,’ Butler said.”
When it comes to breast reconstruction, you need a surgeon you can trust. Rex E. Moulton Barrett, M.D. is internationally known and acknowledged. He is board certified with The American Board of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and The American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Dr. Moulton-Barrett offers a number of breast reconstruction options, including immediate and delayed reconstruction. For more information, contact us for a consultation.