What to Expect: Immediate Reconstruction
Your reconstructive surgery will begin at the time of your mastectomy. After the general surgeon removes your breast tissue, your plastic surgeon will begin the reconstructive process. With an implant, you'll have either a one-stage or two-stage reconstruction procedure.
One-Stage Breast Reconstruction
Immediately after your general surgeon removes any cancerous breast tissue, your plastic surgeon will place your breast implant(s). This type of procedure is an option if you've had a nipple-sparing mastectomy, meaning the nipple is not removed and the majority of the breast skin is preserved.
Two-Stage Breast Reconstruction
A combination of procedures helps to gradually create a space in your chest tissue for a breast implant. The most common approach includes a tissue expander followed by placement of a breast implant – allowing for the most flexibility in shaping the breast.
First Stage
Your surgeon will surgically insert a tissue expander, and slowly expand the space over time for an implant. Typically, you'll meet with your plastic surgeon on a regular basis to fill the expander with sterile saline to gradually stretch the skin.
Second Stage
Once the space reaches the desired size and the tissue has healed, your surgeon will perform a second surgery to remove the tissue expander and replace it with the breast implant. If a mastectomy was only performed on one breast, you might choose to have the other breast augmented to achieve symmetry.
Product Options
Your immediate breast reconstruction can be performed in a few ways: Using tissue expanders with breast implants, using breast implants alone, or using a dual-function implant – a combination tissue expander and breast implant.
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Note: Saline Breast Implants are only available in the following countries: Austria, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Israel, Turkey and Saudi Arabia
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