Breast Cancer Treatment Option Promotes Immediate Reconstruction

There are many techniques that can be employed to help save the breasts following reconstruction surgery, and one of these is called "nipple-sparing".

A significant amount of research has been done recently to showcase what happens when nipple-sparing mastectomies are done on women who have breast reconstruction surgery. These tests were conducted on women who chose to have this surgery immediately following a mastectomy. Surgeons have stated that this type of procedure has a significantly higher rate of success as well as much lower rate of resulting complications.

Good outcomes from reconstruction

These types of procedures - the ones that employ "nipple-sparing" - are becoming more and more common for these women who have a mastectomy. When this technique is used, the surgeon doing the procedure will attempt to preserve the nipple along with the tissues that surround it for use in reconstruction of the breast that is immediately to follow. In many patients who find themselves being treated for cancer of the breast, these types of mastectomies will be performed only if the surrounding tissues as well as the nipple are completely cancer-free.

Smoking may have adverse effects

This study also took care to identify many of the risks that are important when considering complications. The rate of complication was much higher - up to 3 times - for women who smoked when they had the operation done. Women who had recently undergone treatments such as radiation therapy were at a higher risk as well.

Other complications that were noted were things like the location of the incision, as well as the type that was done. If the incision was placed directly by the nipple, there were more complications. If it was done directly under the fold of the breast, it tended to be less complicated.

Each of these things and more help to shed light on what may happen when undergoing breast reconstruction surgery. If you have any questions about this procedure, speak with one of our plastic surgeons today. We can help you understand what you need in order to have the best results from this procedure.