Frequently asked questions about breast reconstruction for breast cancer

Love of beauty is a woman’s nature, the most important sign of female charm is physical beauty, and the breast is the representative of female physical beauty. Full, firm, proportionate and healthy breasts are the best reflection of female charm. The lack of breast shape and imperfection will directly affect the physical and psychological health of women and their social interpersonal interactions. Therefore, breast reconstruction is necessary for patients who have missing breasts or poorly formed breasts. 1. Breast reconstruction is necessary for various reasons of breast loss, mostly for breast cancer mastectomy and simple mastectomy for some patients with multiple breast fibroids and some patients with poor breast shape due to breast surgery. 2. What is the purpose of breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery? Breast cancer surgery not only causes great trauma to women physiologically, but also causes post-operative psychological problems such as frustration and depression. Breast reconstruction can restore the patient’s appearance and avoid the above psychological problems, so that breast cancer patients can truly recover. Moreover, after surgery, patients can achieve symmetry between the two sides after wearing underwear, so that they do not need to wear prosthesis and avoid discomfort caused by wearing prosthesis, and can move freely to avoid embarrassment caused by prosthesis falling off when wearing prosthesis. 3. What kind of patients should not undergo breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery? There are three types of patients who should not undergo breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery. Firstly, patients who do not want to undergo breast reconstruction; secondly, patients who are too weak to undergo another surgery; thirdly, patients with poor prognosis of breast cancer, or patients with local recurrence or distant metastasis. 4. When can breast reconstruction be performed after breast cancer surgery? There are two types of breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery, one is immediate reconstruction, that is, breast reconstruction is performed at the same time of breast cancer surgery, the advantage of which is that only one anesthesia and surgery are needed, short hospitalization time, less cost, short recovery time, and less psychological trauma of mastectomy to patients. Another case is postponed reconstruction, after completing chemotherapy and radiotherapy, reconstructed after physical examination by a mammographer with no abnormalities. 5. Does breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery have any effect on the monitoring of breast cancer recurrence after surgery? According to a large sample of modern medicine, the local recurrence rate and long-term survival rate of patients with and without breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery are the same, and breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery does not affect the monitoring of breast cancer recurrence after surgery. 6. What is the process of breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery? Breast reconstruction after breast cancer requires multiple surgeries to reconstruct a perfect breast. The first surgery completes the reconstruction of the basic shape of the breast and usually requires hospitalization. The second surgery is performed six months after the first surgery and after the reconstructed breast is basically stable. The second surgery mainly involves the reconstruction of the nipple and areola and some localized revision, which can usually be done on an outpatient basis. 7. What are the several methods of breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each? At present, there are two major types of breast reconstruction methods after breast cancer surgery, one is breast implant-based and the other is autologous breast reconstruction. Prosthesis-based breast reconstruction involves placing an implant under the skin or under the pectoralis major muscle to replace the removed breast. The procedure is simple, the patient recovers quickly, and the reconstructed breast has a good shape. Complications include contracture of the implant envelope, breast pain, peri-implant infection, and implant leakage. Autologous breast reconstruction involves reconstructing the breast from tissue from the rest of the patient’s body. The advantages include: the reconstructed breast feels the same as the contralateral breast, both are made of fatty tissue, and the tissue is as mobile as the contralateral breast. Also, the reconstructed breast, like the contralateral breast, can blossom as the body gets fatter or sag with age. The disadvantage is that the surgery is more complicated and the recovery time is longer. Finally, we need to remind breast reconstruction patients that they should not follow the crowd or follow the trend blindly, but should listen to professional advice after the doctor’s examination and choose the appropriate surgery according to their own situation, so as to be responsible for their own health and beauty.