Breast Reconstruction in Littleton Colorado

Breast Implant Reconstruction:

Women who have undergone a mastectomy for the treatment of breast cancer frequently wish to have breast reconstruction in order to restore her natural body contour. Often, the simplest and most reliable method of breast reconstruction is with a permanent breast prosthesis (implant). In most cases, this is a multi-stage process. The first phase is placement of a tissue-expander either at the time of the initial mastectomy or delayed until after healing is complete from the mastectomy. During the ensuing 4-6 weeks, the tissue expander is filled progressively to create a "pocket" for the permanent breast implant. In a second operation, the tissue-expander is removed, and replaced with the permanent breast implant. The nipple and areola are usually reconstructed during this second procedure. There are a number of different implants available with varying sizes and shapes to more precisely match the other normal breast. In most cases, the "one-implant-fits-all" approach will fail to yield the best possible aesthetic result. The key principle is to use the specific size and shape of implant that will produce a reconstructed breast that most closely matches the normal breast. At the Baker Center for Plastic Surgery in Littleton Colorado; just minutes from Denver, our goal is to always tailor each operation to the specific needs of each patient.

Breast Tissue Reconstruction:

In some cases, it is preferable to use the patient's own soft tissues to reconstruct the absent breast after mastectomy. The use of the patient's own soft tissue to accomplish the reconstruction is called an autologous breast reconstruction. In an autologous breast reconstruction, the patient's own muscle, skin and fat tissue is transferred from the back or the abdomen to reconstruct the breast. One advantage of this approach is that the majority of the reconstruction is achieved during the first operation. Reconstruction of the nipple and areola is generally left to a second, shorter procedure. The most important principle is to employ the method of reconstruction that is safest and will produce the optimal aesthetic result.

Breast Reduction (reduction mammaplasty):

Many patients are troubled by excessively large breasts. Breast hypertrophy may cause chronic neck, shoulder, and upper back pain. Excessively large breasts may make some women quite self-conscious and may make physical exercise very difficult. Often the best solution is to undergo breast reduction surgery. According to a major clinical study at the University of Michigan, most patients experience a tremendous improvement in quality of life following breast reduction surgery. Recently, efforts have been made to reduce the length of the scars resulting from breast reduction surgery which have been quite successful in selected patients.