Breast Reconstruction in Long Island

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Advanced breast reconstruction techniques: Precision Medical Arts

Each year, hundreds of thousands of women are diagnosed with breast cancer. More than half of them undergo treatment that includes a mastectomy or lumpectomy to remove the cancer cells and halt the further spread. The good news is that treating breast cancer in the early stages is very effective. The drawback is that the breast may be fully removed (mastectomy) or have a section removed (lumpectomy) that leaves the breast misshapen. Breast reconstruction, when performed by a specialist, allows you to restore your curves in a manner that appears natural.

Restoring Your Curves and Contours

Although breast reconstruction can be performed months or years following breast cancer treatment, it is best conducted in conjunction with a mastectomy or lumpectomy. Planning breast reconstruction in Long Island to coincide with breast cancer surgery allows your plastic surgeon to coordinate treatment with other caregivers. This approach produces an excellent outcome, reduces the emotional impact of losing breast tissue, and allows for a single recovery time. Breast reconstruction can be performed months or even years following a mastectomy or lumpectomy and accelerates the overall recovery process.

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Why choose Precision Medical Arts for breast reconstruction?

The experience, techniques, and artistry of your reconstructive surgeon are vital factors in the beauty and natural appearance of a reconstructed breast. Our entire team is compassionate and supportive during the procedure, which is a time when many women feel emotionally vulnerable. We deliver optimal care from a genuinely compassionate expert who addresses every concern throughout every phase of the process.

Before & After

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The breast reconstruction process

There are several techniques for breast reconstruction in Long Island, with the procedure selected reflecting your unique circumstances, physical factors, and personal wishes. In many cases, breast reconstruction will involve several procedures, which may be performed over several months.

Insurance and breast reconstruction surgery

The Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998 requires health insurance companies to cover breast reconstruction for women who have received mastectomies.

That legislation was based on significant research that indicated women who underwent breast reconstruction following mastectomies experienced mental health benefits and an improved quality of life. The team at Precision Medical Arts is here to help you throughout the reconstruction and recovery process.

To schedule your personal consultation with a plastic surgeon and discuss your breast reconstruction options, please contact Precision Medical Arts today.

A mastectomy can leave a woman feeling less like herself, and the cost of reconstruction is covered by your health insurance. Breast reconstruction, when performed at Precision Medical Arts, can restore a very natural look and symmetry to the breasts after either a mastectomy or lumpectomy. If you are preparing for breast cancer surgery, our plastic surgeons at Precision Medical Arts will work closely with your cancer surgeon to plan your breast reconstruction. In many cases, the procedure can occur in the same surgery as a mastectomy.

Customizing Your Reconstruction Procedure

Natural fat transfer

Custom natural fat grafting can restore breast size and shape after a lumpectomy and can be performed concurrently with the lumpectomy. This technique can also be implemented to enhance the outcome of Implant-based breast reconstruction. The fat cells are harvested from another body area that has an abundance (abdomen, thighs, love handles, or other), purified, and injected into the breast to restore the volume lost in the breast in a lumpectomy.

Tissue expander reconstruction

For some women, a technique involving a tissue expander is necessary. This involves placing a breast-shaped tissue expander beneath the chest skin to trigger natural skin growth. The technique has a double benefit, as it creates initial volume, which is increased over time with the injection of saline solution as the skin naturally expands to accommodate the increased size. Once the ideal size is achieved, an implant is placed beneath the chest muscle. If the nipple structure was removed during the mastectomy, a new nipple can be created from your own tissue as the final step in the process.

Oncoplastic reconstruction

This approach typically combines a breast lift with a reduction of one breast to create a natural symmetry for the breasts following a lumpectomy.

DIEP flap reconstruction

At Precision Medical Arts, our surgeons specialize in one of the most advanced breast reconstruction techniques, the “DIEP flap.” DIEP refers to “Deep Inferior Epigastric (related to the upper middle section of the abdomen) Artery Perforator Flap.” Skin and fatty tissues are harvested with a precision approach from the lower abdomen, and are then used to create a new breast from your own natural tissue. This advanced technique produces exceptionally natural-looking results.

Ideally, the initial phase is performed immediately after a lumpectomy or mastectomy, in the same surgical appointment. This procedure focuses on restoring the breast mound, either with the aid of a breast implant or with “flap” reconstruction, which uses tissue from another region of the body to create a new breast mound.

Subsequent steps refine the shape and size of the breast, then add the nipple with a specialized technique before later adding areola coloring. In some cases, a breast lift, breast reduction, or breast augmentation may be recommended for the other breast to achieve symmetry between the two.

The harvesting technique is performed in a manner that resculpts the abdomen for a more refined contour. The incision will be made from hip to hip (as is typical in a tummy tuck) and the donor tissues and blood vessels carefully harvested. The incision will then be closed, and the belly button repositioned. With a microscope, the tiny blood vessels within the tissue are connected to the blood vessels where the mastectomy was performed, to create a healthy new breast (or both, in cases of a double mastectomy) from your own natural tissues, feeling and looking soft and pliable. No muscle is removed in this procedure, which is a significant benefit. Reinnervation of the breast is a newer development in breast reconstruction science that could be an option for our patients.

Over the recovery period, you will be in constant communication with our plastic surgeon to ensure the recovery is uneventful and proceeding according to plan.

Recovery time after breast reconstruction

The recovery timeline for breast reconstruction varies depending on the breast reconstruction technique performed. If you had an oncoplastic reconstruction, which involves a breast lift and reshaping of the remaining breast tissue to create symmetry, the recovery requires wearing a surgical bra after the treatment, sleeping on your back, and avoiding vigorous physical motions until the incisions are healed, which requires several weeks, based on the individual rate of healing.

The recovery time for tissue expander reconstruction care involves placing surgical drains and wearing a surgical bra during tissue expansion. Several follow-up appointments are involved to add saline solution to achieve the amount of skin needed to place the implant, which may require two to four months.

If you undergo “microvascular autologous tissue reconstruction” (which refers to using your own natural tissue to create a new breast or DIEP flap), you will need an average of three days in the hospital and will have surgical drains and wear a surgical bra. Over the recovery period, you will be in constant communication with our plastic surgeon to ensure the recovery is uneventful and proceeding according to plan.