Chest reconstruction

Breast reconstruction can be performed in two ways but always under general anesthesia:

Immediate: which is performed at the time the breast is extruded and allows the surgeon himself to be able to preserve the skin of said breast except the areola and nipple, thus achieving a more aesthetic result. In this type of operation, implants or tissues from the patient can be used. It is important to know that this operation does not interfere with radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatment.

Deferred: This is done after the extripation of the breast. On numerous occasions it happens that at the time of the mastectomy the breast could not be reconstructed and it must be done a posteriori. Like the previous one, it can be done with the patient's own tissues or with implants.

Delayed reconstruction is one that takes place some time after the mastectomy has been performed. The aesthetic results of this reconstruction technique are usually inferior to immediate breast reconstruction.

Regarding the types of interventions, the

With implants: In this, the surgeon places a device that serves to expand the tissue under the skin resulting from the mastectomy or under the muscle of the massectomy itself. Once the tissue is healthy and relaxed, this placed expander is removed to make way for the implants. It is important to know that implants are sometimes already placed in the mastectomy itself.

As for the nipple and areola, it can be reconstructed once the breast has stabilized. To do this, he will cut and move small pieces of the skin of his own chest towards the site of the nipple, giving it shape. In the case of the areola, you will have to wait a few more months and it can be done with skin from the groin or abdomen or also through tattoos, which is one of the most common forms.

In some masectomies, the nipple and areola of the patient are kept if the disease suffered allows it and can be placed again after reconstruction.

With autogenous tissue (from the patient) containing skin, fat, blood vessels, and sometimes muscles. This type of tissue is called flaps and can provide the back, thighs, buttocks, the abdomen itself or any other area thanks to microsurgery. We distinguish two types of fabrics depending on where they come from.

• Predicted flap in which adjacent blood vessels travel from the body to the chest. Since the blood supply to the tissue itself is left intact, no new attachment to other blood vessels will have to be made when the tissue is moved.
• Free flap where the tissue that is cut off from its blood supply and that needs to connect to other vessels in the chest to supply blood to the reconstructed chest.