What to Expect During Your Implant Breast Reconstruction Surgery
Before you undergo breast reconstruction surgery, you’ll sit down for a private consultation with one of our expert reconstructive plastic surgeons. They will examine your breasts and talk with you about your specific goals for your reconstruction procedure. They will also take a full medical history including a complete summary of your breast cancer diagnosis and treatment path. Our breast reconstruction team is made up of plastic surgeons experienced in both traditional and advanced reconstruction techniques, including breast implants. For some women, advanced breast reconstruction techniques can be used to achieve superior results using their own living tissue to restore the size and shape of the breast(s). During your consultation, your surgeon will help you decide whether you’re best suited to implant breast reconstruction or one of our more advanced reconstruction methods.
The First Step of Your Procedure
For many patients, the first step in breast reconstruction involves the placement of a breast tissue expander underneath the breast skin, which is often done at the same time as the mastectomy. This breast-shaped device features an easy-to-access port so that it can regularly be adjusted to create sufficient space for the breast implant. This inflatable device is wrapped in a regenerative support scaffold called AlloDerm® and placed under the mastectomy skin. Surgery to insert the expander takes about two hours, and your surgeon will inject a long-lasting pain-blocking medication to reduce postoperative pain. Most patients go home on the same day as the surgery. Several drains are placed into the breast during this surgery and will remain for one to two weeks to prevent fluid buildup and infection in the surgical site. Depending on the desired size of your new breasts, the tissue expander will be adjusted every one to two weeks at our office through the addition of saline through the port. The expander is gradually inflated like a balloon over a period of a few months until the skin and muscle can accommodate your desired implant size.
The Second Step of Your Procedure
The next step of your implant breast reconstruction procedure will take place about three months after your tissue expander is placed.
On the day of your surgery, you’ll be administered general anesthesia to keep you comfortably sleeping throughout the surgery.
Depending on your specific treatment plan, your surgeon will begin by making small incisions either along the folds beneath the breasts, around the nipples, or in the armpits.
They will then remove the tissue expander before carefully inserting your customized breast implants. Finally, they will close the incisions with sutures and apply bandages to the area.
After the surgery, you’ll need to be monitored for a couple of hours to ensure that you don’t suffer any complications. After that, you can have a friend or family member drive you home.
