Breast Reconstruction Using Natural Tissue

Every woman wants to have full breasts but unfortunately some of the women lose the shape and volume of their breasts because of mastectomy or some other trauma. Mastectomy is the breast cancer surgery in which full or partial breast tissues are removed to cure breast cancer. Breast reconstruction surgery is an effective procedure to restore the shape and volume of breasts. There are various types of this procedure but mostly it is performed using your own body tissue. Here we will discuss what this procedure involves and how it is performed.

Breast reconstruction surgery is the surgical procedure in which natural tissue, skin or fat from another area of your own body is used to restore your breast to normal shape, size and whole appearance. Breast reconstruction surgery can no doubt effectively reconstruct your breasts but the results are variable. Before going for the procedure, you must keep in mind the following issues.

• The reconstructed breasts will not have the same feel and sensation as your real breasts had.
• Your breasts will have visible incision lines on them.
• Incision lines will also be present in the donor area from where fat tissues are taken.
• In case if one breast requires reconstruction, breast lift, augmentation or reduction may be performed on the other one to bring symmetry.

Breast reconstruction surgery is an invasive procedure performed under general anesthesia. The fat tissue used to reconstruct breasts is often taken from your body area having denser fat like abdomen, back or buttocks. Various techniques are used to transfer fat to the breasts. These techniques are explained below.

TRAM flap:

In this technique surgeon takes the muscle, fat and skin from abdomen to rebuild the breasts. There are two ways of transferring fat to the breasts – it is either detached from the abdomen and then attached to the breasts or is transferred to the breasts through chest wall without cutting blood supply. Your surgeon may also transfer the fat only without muscles.

Latissimus dorsi flap:

It is the technique in which muscle, fat and skin from the back is transferred to the breasts leaving blood supply intact. The transferred fat may construct complete breast mound or can be used to just cover and support the breast implant inserted.

DIEP flap:

In this technique abdominal blood supply, fat and skin is used to construct the breasts but muscles are not used.

In short, breast reconstruction can be effectively done using your own body fat tissue that will restore the normal shape and volume of your breasts.