You are quite right. In the "old days" we used to think that patients needed to wait to be reconstructed because of fears about recurrent cancer. That has proven to be an unwarranted concern and it is now typical for the reconstruction to begin right away.
As a matter of fact, in this case it is the preferred choice, since your mom has no cancer. She should have a nipple sparing mastectomy with the immediate insertion of a permanent prosthesis. That is, she may not need to undergo expansion or any other delays.
With today's advanced techniques she can end up with a very realistic reconstruction - much better than just a few years ago -- and the results can be obtained almost immediately.
The advent of acellular tissue matrix has made this all possible. Make sure she speaks with plastic surgeons who can demonstrate results for her.
