Immediate Breast Reconstruction Offers Several Clear Advantages

According to a 2011 study done by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, immediate breast reconstruction may offer several advantages to waiting when it comes to patients who have undergone a mastectomy. For many years, the traditional approach to post-op plastic surgery was to wait until the area had healed and then go back for the reconstruction. This would not only give the patient a chance to heal, but it would give them an opportunity to go over their options and consider carefully how they wanted to move forward. However, as the study points out, this may not be what's best for the patient after all.

Low Complication Rates

According to the study, which looked at 170 women over a decade, low complication rates are to thank for the new view on immediate breast reconstruction. For a long time, moving straight into surgery was considered the riskier choice. Now, with improved techniques, these fears are no longer valid. The study observed women who had moved straight into their reconstruction following a mastectomy. In the study's cases, the TRAM flap method was used to achieve the results. While there were complications in 8.8 percent of the patients analyzed, it only resulted in a delay of additional cancer treatment in half that number: 8 women in total. Even this delay was less than substantial, with the maximum being three weeks.

Improved Appearance

The study comes as welcome news to surgeons in the field, who have long known of the many benefits of immediate breast reconstruction. One such benefit is improved appearance. By going straight into surgery, doctors can minimize the scarring that comes along with the mastectomy itself and give the patient an improved cosmetic outcome. Of course, such an improved outcome is meaningless if it serves to cause complications or forces a patient to endure serious risk as it pertains to their upcoming cancer treatments. Surgeons, always concerned more with health than with aesthetics, are pleased that studies are now bearing out the fact that it doesn't need to be an either/or situation.

Coping

There's overwhelming evidence that the aftermath of a mastectomy can be a daunting time for many women. Our society places a great deal of importance on the female form, some of which is lost in the cancer treatment. It is only natural that a women feel depressed following such an event, even if considering implants in the future. Immediate breast reconstruction can eliminate this period of depression by bypassing that downtime and moving straight into the surgery. Talk to your doctor about the benefits of moving forward with the surgery and have him be honest with you about both the risks and rewards.