Sunday, September 23, 2012

Breast Augmentation After a Mastectomy

Perky breasts - regardless of size - are every woman's ideal for how she feels about her chest and how she is seen. But when the threat or presence of breast cancer threatens her health and physical form, it can impact her life for months or years. Diagnosis is always devastating and patients often experience varying stages of mental, emotional, physical and sometimes spiritual disbelief. Whether they saw it as a possibility through their family medical history or whether they are the only one in the family, several decisions have to be made in regards to the safety and necessity of the most credible treatment methods. This process, of course, includes consideration of surgical extraction of the cancerous cells as well as the surrounding mammary tissue - particularly if she chooses to undergo a double mastectomy for preventative purposes.

How does this painful process involve breast augmentation?

The answer can start with one more question. How does a woman of any age move on after her breasts are virtually taken from her? She can opt for breast augmentation. Enhancement, whether she uses her own tissue or implant placement, can mean the difference between an absent reminder of her illness and sadness, or the surgery that can dramatically lift her spirits because her figure will remind her that her cancer has been removed and treated. Her chances of repeat illness have been diminished with her previous surgery and treatment.

Breast augmentation for a mastectomy patient happens in three stages. First, there is the mastectomy itself. This is when the cancerous cells, surrounding fatty mammary tissue and nearby lymph nodes are removed. The second step of the breast augmentation process involves chest preparation for the actual enhancement. Depending upon how long ago she had her mastectomy performed, the amount of scar tissue present can affect the restoration, and the surgeon may use skin expanders in order to ensure the ideal fit for the implants. The third step is to actually receive the breast augmentation.

Patients recovering from mastectomy tend to opt for modest implant volume. But as long as the skin and elasticity is there, there are possibilities for return of her natural chest shape and size or slightly larger. These women are typically more modest because of the association with past trauma, whether they had implants before or not. They, like many women, identify their figure with their femininity and breast enhancement will help them get that feeling back