Breast Reconstruction: Q&A

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What Does a Reconstructed Breast Look Like?

How close can breast reconstruction get to creating a breast that looks real? Does it largely depend on how much tissue has been removed?

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26 Doctor Answers | Asked by Eva S in Seattle, WA

Doctor Answers (26)
Community Comments (1)

Results from Mastectomy Reconstruction

The answer to your question will depending on multiple factors which include but are not limited to: the type of mastectomy done (skin sparing mastectomy or nipple sparing?); your cancer treatment plan (will you require radiation therapy); your overall health status and baseline breast anatomy (what do you breasts look like currently); and the type of your reconstruction (implants vs. using your own tissue). Board certified plastic surgeons achieve some fantastic results for post... more

Breast Reconstruction

There are many many variables which will determine the final result of a reconstructed breast. The absolute best thing you can do is schedule an evaluation will a reputable well trained board certified plastic surgeon. Upon examination, your well-trained surgeon will be able to give you a really good idea of what you can expect long term as far as appearance. There is a wonderful picture book I found many years ago entitled "Reconstructing Aphrodite" which I share... more

Breast reconstruction

A reconstructed breast can do a reasonable but not perfect job of matching the opposite breast especially if the reconstruction is done with the patient's own tissues rather than an implant. These are complex operations and other variables in the results are related to your own body, the opposite breast, the type of mastectomy done, the use of radiation treatments etc. This is a complex subject best discussed with a plastic surgeon who does a lot of reconstruction who can examine and... more

High variability in breast reconstruction

The results of breast reconstruction run the gamut from very unnatural with hard, visible implants, to very soft and natural using combinations of autogenous flaps and silicone gel implants. Each situation must be taken individually and the results are highly dependent upon individual healing and scarring and whether on not the chest wall has been irradiated. Inaddition, naturalness in feel and look to the doctor or observer may not be the same naturalness and feel to the patient. Much of... more

Robin T.W. Yuan, MD

4 reviews

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Breast Reconstruction Results

The results following reconstruction today can look very close to the real thing, but they will never look quite like a real breast because it is not a breast. It is very difficult to achieve the natural ptosis (hanging) or projection of a natural breast. In the past, the goal of reconstruction has been to make you look good in clothes, but plastic surgeons today really try to make an individual look good naked. The amount of cancerous tissue and skin that must be removed does play a... more

How

Hi Eva, Great question. There are many factors that affect how good a breast reconstruction looks, many of which (unfortunately) are out of your plastic surgeon's hands. There are basically three components to breast reconstruction - there's the skin of the reconstructed breast, threre's the volume of the breast mound and finally there's the appearance of the nipple areolar complex. Breast skin. The best skin is breast skin - as in a skin sparing mastectomy when the... more

Appearance of Reconstructed Breast

Dear Eva - The answer to that question depends on so many things: whether the reconstruction is done immediately or delayed, what type of method is used ie tissue expander versus latissimus dorsi versus DIEP, whether you have radiation therapy, etc. In general, yes the more skin removed the harder it is to make a natural breast.

Appearance of a reconstructed breast

The main goal of breast reconstruction is to give back size and form within clothing. In turn, your plastic surgeon will try to achieve the most aesthetically-pleasing reconstructed breast. While it is difficult to completely mimic the natural shape and ptosis (sag) of a breast, excellent results can be obtained. With that being said, the answer to your question has many variables, all contributing to your overall result. Factors such as the timing of your... more

Breast reconstruction with a tissue expander

Breast reconstruction will not resemble a normal breast. A realistic goal is for a woman to look normal in clothes, bathing suits and bras. It is impossible to erase the scars from the mastectomy and to exactly match to opposite side.

Reconstructed breasts may look better than your native breasts

Plastic surgeons have refined breast reconstruction techniques and we are sometimes able to reconstruct beasts that look better than your native breasts. However, the results depend on a variety of factors. 1. your body habitus 2. original size of your breasts 3. the desired size of your breasts 4. type of reconstruction 5. whether you've had a unilateral or bilateral reconstruction 5. whether your plastic surgeon and general/breast surgeon are able to work together to give you the most... more

Perry Liu, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

www.perryliumd.com

Breast reconstruction results can look natural

The final appearance of breast reconstruction surgery can vary widely depending upon the technique chosen and the patients particular anatomy and cancer treatments, as well as any prior reconstruction that may have had complications, or were otherwise unsatisfactory. While I do the entire variety of reconstructive techniques, I prefer autologous (patient own tissues) flap procedures including TRAM flaps and free flaps such as DIEP flaps, or other perforator flaps because they can be... more

Reconstructed breast

A reconstructed breast can look very real and feel very natural in many cases, but there wil be scars where the mastectomy was performed.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Appearance of reconstructed breast

How one looks after breast reconstruction depends on several factors: 1) Your native breast, size and shape, 2) Method of mastectomy, nipple sparing mastectomy, simple mastectomy, radical mastectomy, 3)Need for radiation, 4) Types of reconstruction, implant vs. autologous (one's own tissue)., and 4) timing of breast reconsrution: immediate vs delayed. It is hard to predict how you are going to look unless you have the answers to above factors. A good news is that there... more

What do Reconstructed Breasts Look Like?

This is a simple question that has anything but a simple answer. Because there are so many variables involved, there is no single answer. Some of the variables that affect the appearance of reconstructed breasts include: the timing of reconstruction (immediate-at the time of mastectomy or delayed-done at a second procedure sometime after mastectomy) whether or not radiation therapy has been part of a women's treatment the type of mastectomy performed (e.g.,... more

Appearance of Reconstructed Breast

The result of breast reconstruction depends on many factors. These factors includes the technique of mastectomy, method of reconstruction (autologous vs implants), need for radiation therapy, patient co-morbidity such as obesity, tobacco use, etc. Overall, most patients have excellent results. My goal during breast reconstruction is to create natural looking breast. Natural looking breast can be created using your body or using breast implant.

Does a Reconstructed Breast Feel Natural

Mastectomy performed for breast cnacer should remove essentially all breast tissue. Reconstruction is done by replacing the breast tissue with a flap, that is mainly made of fat, or a silicone gel implant. Since the breast is mainly composed of fat, flap reconstruction will feel very natural, unless hard areas of fat necrosis occur. Silicone gel implants also feel very natural.

Breast reconstruction outcomes

A great question, and a very difficult one to answer. Simply stated, the outcomes from a breast reconstruction range from simple breast "mounds" to breasts that are aesthetically better than what the patient had before surgery. Of course, there are many factors which influence how a breast reconstruction turns out. I'll review the benefits of different types of reconstruction and what factors positively or negatively impact them. The most common type of breast... more

David Bogue, MD

6 reviews

Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon

www.drbogue.com

Appearance of reconstructed breasts

Reconstructed breat appearances can be found on-line oryour doctor can show you pictures or introduce you to a few of their patientys. Remember that reconstructed breasts usually have eiothe decreased of no sensation.

Breast Reconstruction Results / Appearance

Breast reconstruction results can vary according to your body type, weight, breast shape, the type of reconstruction you have, and your surgeons. Working with a qualified general surgeon capable of preserving your exisiting skin is the first must if trying to achieve a naturally appearing breast. Secondly, you should consult with a board certified plastic surgeon capable of performing all types of breast reconstructuon including implant and autulogous (using your own tissue)... more

Appearance of a Reconstructed Breast

Entire volumes of reconstructive surgery were written to answer your question. The potential appearance of the reconstructed breast should NEVER delay or influence the treatment of breast cancer. The first objective should be saving life. The second preserving function and the third improved appearance. The appearance of the reconstructed breast would depend on what YOU, your oncologist, radiation therapist and your general surgeon "deal" the plastic surgeon. The less breast... more

Reconstructed breast appearance

There are many factors in creating a realistic and aesthetically pleasing breast, and you should read all the posts here. But whether you choose implant reconstruction or autologous reconstruction, you will have a better result when as much of your own breast skin can be preserved as possible. This will largely depend on the type and location of your cancer, and whether or not you need radiation. So these are things that are out of our hands as plastic surgeons, but they are critical... more

Reconstructed breast appearance

This is a great question. There are many variables that determine the result. The first is what type of mastectomy will be performed. Will it be skin sparing, traditional modified radical mastectomy, nipple sparing mastectomy, etc.? The amount of skin that is left behind after mastectomy is critical to the result. If most of the skin is remaining, as in skin sparing mastectomy, the plastic surgeons simply has to fill the skin envelope. The second major determinant of the... more

Reconstructed breasts are close as possible to normal breasts

Autologous reconstruction (using your own tissues) will give you a more natural look. Implants could look very nice but the feel is different than a normal breast tissue for obvious reasons. The reality is that the extreme majority of breast reconstruction patients are happy with their procedures and breast following reconstruction. Hope that helps!

Reconstructed breasts can look real.

Hi. 1) Our best results look absolutely real after breast reconstruction. but you don't know that you are going to necessarily be a best result. 2) But women can CONSISTENTLY be gotten to the point where they can wear a two piece bathing suite, not feel deformed, go on with their lives, and forget that they had a mastectomy. This is the realistic question, not whether the result will be perfect.

Varies substantially

Hello, Breast reconstruction can be difficult when a good deal of tissue has been removed and when radiation and chemotherapy have been required to treat the cancer. At times tissue-based reconstructive options require a great deal of surgery to approach a better-looking breast. Implants can be very limited in breast reconstruction. The results can be good. Not all women are doomed to rock hard implants.

A NORMAL NATURAL breast !

A reconstructed breast should match the other or appear normal and natural.........................

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Comments (1)

Snidera62 9 Sep 2012

In my case, the sugeon made all the difference. I had bilateral radical mastectomies. The first set of implants were awful and the surgeon was less than skilled. I ended up with nothing that even resembled a real breast. After six years, I went to another surgeon and had a second reconstruction. The difference is amazing and my breasts look real. Research your sugeon and I suggest someone who specializes in reconstruction.

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