Breast Reconstruction Helps Women Regain Their Dignity And Self-esteem After Cancer

When it comes to medical conditions, there is little worse than developing cancer. However, developing cancer and, then, losing part of yourself through surgery can be very demoralizing. Such is the case with breast cancer.

This disease has been around for thousands of years and there have been a limited number of interventions to stop it. Only in our recent history, have doctors turned to radical mastectomies to remove the entire breast (sometimes both) and excess tissue to treat the cancer.

The idea is to remove more tissue than necessary in the hopes of getting all the cancer and rid the body so it cannot migrate to another part of the body and begin developing tumors there. However, radical mastectomies leave the patient with an altered body image.

Today, in most Western societies, the female breast symbolizes womanhood. This is in part because they are the part of the body that develops first during puberty, which is a sign of female maturity. Removing these symbols of womanhood can be emotionally distressing to the patient.

Following the intervention of radical mastectomies came the ability of enhancement, augmentation, and reconstruction surgery. Today, women who have one or both breasts removed can also have them replaced. There are two methods currently being used to reconstruct a woman's breasts.

First, implants can be used to reform the tissue that has been removed. This process uses a saline-filled or a silicone gel-filled device that is inserted under the skin (and usually muscle) for the reshaping of the chest. This method was the first type developed.

It is also a good option for women who have only one breast removed, because it can be much easier to match the other one. Although there have been risks in the past from using silicone (and even saline) implants, most recent studies show that these problems are minimal at best. Today, the implants used are very safe.

A second procedure is called a tissue flap procedure. This is where the surgeon takes tissue from another part of your body to reconstruct the breast. Often the donor sites that are used to supply the tissue include the rectus abdominis (stomach muscles) and the latissimus dorsi (upper back) muscles groups.

One type of tissue flap reconstruction is called TRAM (transverse rectus abdominis muscle) procedure. The surgeon takes skin, fat, blood vessels, and an abdominal muscle from the abdomen and uses it to recreate the breast. Often, there is sufficient material from this region to recreate it. Sometimes, this process is combined with implants for enhancement of the reconstruction.

There are newer types of surgeries emerging. One type of stomach tissue procedure is called a DIEP (deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flap). This procedure is similar to receiving a tummy tuck, because the surgeon takes material from the lower abdomen. Another type of surgery that is becoming more popular is the fluteal free flap procedure. This is where the surgeon takes tissue, fat, and muscle from the buttocks to reconstruct the breast.

As technology continues to advance there will be new ways to perform this procedure. Ideally, it would be best to cure or prevent the cancers before radical mastectomies. However, with the development of modern technologies, women who suffer from this type of cancer are able to retain dignity and self-esteem through breast reconstruction surgery.