- With this operation, your surgeon takes skin, fat, and sometimes muscle (a flap) from another part of your body and makes it into a breast shape.
Advantages
- Body tissue reconstruction can usually be done in one or two operations, but you may need minor adjustments to the new or opposite breast.
- The reconstructed breast is warm and gives a more natural shape and feel compared to an implant (thought it will still probably feel different to your other breast).
- Women with small or large breasts can have this type of surgery.
Disadvantages
- It is a much bigger and longer operation than implant reconstruction.
- The operation leaves you with two wound sites and two sets of scars.
- There is the risk of arm weakness if you have tissue taken from your back (latissimus dorsi reconstruction).
- There is a risk of tummy weakness if you have tissue taken from your tummy (TRAM or DIEP flap).
The reconstructed breast tends to match the other breast well at first but may droop after some time. So then the breasts may be out of alignment.
