For breast cancer patients, receiving word that their cancer has gone into remission may well be one of the happiest moments of their life. Yet, especially for women who elected to have a full or partial mastectomy, the physical scars of their cancer will stay with them if they are not addressed through plastic surgery. Thankfully, our talented and experienced plastic surgeons at Beverly Hills Physicians are able to perform the full range of breast reconstruction surgery so that women can reclaim their beauty and move on with their lives. Depending on the type of treatment that each woman undergoes to treat her cancer, reconstruction options will differ. Here are several things to consider about breast reconstruction after cancer treatment.

1. Combining Surgeries – In many cases, when a breast cancer patient knows that she will have a mastectomy, she and her doctor will consult with a plastic surgeon prior to the surgery to determine if it would make the most sense to combine the cancer treatment and the reconstruction in the same procedure. In some cases, this can have a better overall cosmetic result without affecting the efficacy of the treatment.
2. Implants – The more common type of breast reconstruction after removal of cancerous breast tissue is through the use of implants to replace the removed tissue. This is especially common in full mastectomies, versus a partial lumpectomy. While lumpectomies remove only a portion of the breast tissue, mastectomies remove all of the tissue to prevent any cancerous tissue from growing. Lumpectomies are often combined with radiation treatment to insure that no cancerous tissue grows where the tissue is not removed.
3. Tissue Reconstruction – For women who have had either a mastectomy or a lumpectomy, but simply do not want implants, they often opt for tissue reconstruction that uses their own fat from other parts of the body for a more natural effect. This is more common with lumpectomies, because they require less fat to be extracted from other areas of the body to reconstruct the breast.

It is important to remember that the choice of a doctor is extremely important when you are considering any medical or cosmetic procedure, and our talented surgeons here at Beverly Hills Physicians have years of experience performing breast reconstruction surgeries. If you or someone you love has recently had a mastectomy, or is soon to undergo one in the fight against breast cancer, consider contacting us to learn more about your options.