Choosing a Surgeon | Choosing an Implant | Choosing the Surgical Incision Site | Choosing the Type of Implant Placement | General Description of Breast Implant Surgery | After the Surgery | Choices in Reconstructive Procedures | Breast Reconstruction with Breast Implants | Immediate reconstruction is one-stage or two-stage reconstruction | Breast Reconstruction with Tissue Flaps | Questions to Ask Your Surgeon about Breast Augmentation | Questions to Ask Your Surgeon about Breast Reconstruction
Breast Implant Surgery
Immediate reconstruction is one-stage or two-stage reconstruction.
- One-stage breast reconstruction may be done at the time of your mastectomy. After the general surgeon removes your breast tissue, the plastic surgeon will insert a breast implant under the skin where breast tissue was removed.
- Two-stage reconstruction is more typical. The first stage is a breast tissue expander placed, at the time of your mastectomy, to stretch your skin and create a pocket for a breast implant. Tissue expansion typically lasts four to six months. The tissue expander is then replaced several months later with a breast implant. This is considered immediate reconstruction because the tissue expander is placed at the time of mastectomy.
Delayed reconstruction is a two-stage reconstruction starting with a breast tissue expander placed months or years later, which is then replaced several months later with a breast implant. This is considered delayed reconstruction because the tissue expander is placed after the mastectomy site has healed.
It is important to know that the one and two-stage references do not mean the number of surgeries involved. You should expect that any type of breast reconstruction will take several steps to complete. It could take months to years before your reconstruction is complete.
Two potential advantages to immediate reconstruction are that your breast reconstruction starts at the time of your mastectomy and that you may save money when you combine the mastectomy with the first stage of the reconstruction. However, with immediate reconstruction, there may be a higher risk of complications, such as rupture/deflation, as well as longer initial operation and healing times.
A potential advantage to delayed reconstruction is that you can delay your reconstruction decision and surgery until other treatments, such as radiation therapy and chemotherapy, are completed. Delayed reconstruction may be advisable if your surgeon anticipates healing problems with your mastectomy, or if you just need more time to consider your options.
There are medical, financial, and emotional considerations to choosing immediate versus delayed reconstruction. You should discuss the pros and cons with the options available in your individual case with your surgeon, plastic surgeon, and oncologist.
Choosing a Surgeon | Choosing an Implant | Choosing the Surgical Incision Site | Choosing the Type of Implant Placement | General Description of Breast Implant Surgery | After the Surgery | Choices in Reconstructive Procedures | Breast Reconstruction with Breast Implants | Immediate reconstruction is one-stage or two-stage reconstruction | Breast Reconstruction with Tissue Flaps | Questions to Ask Your Surgeon about Breast Augmentation | Questions to Ask Your Surgeon about Breast Reconstruction
FDA Breast Implant Consumer Handbook - 2004
U. S. Food and Drug Administration
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants/handbook2004/glossary.html
