Each year more than 240,000 American women face the reality of breast cancer. A mastectomy should not change the way you feel about yourself.

While most women who have a mastectomy can have reconstruction, you are always encouraged to learn as much as possible about the process and potential results before making a decision. If you are considering reconstructive surgery, it is a good idea to discuss it with your doctor and an experienced University Hospitals plastic surgeon before your mastectomy. This will allow the surgical team to determine a treatment plan that’s best for you.

The University Hospitals Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery team understands that breast reconstruction can be a physically and emotionally rewarding procedure for a woman who has lost one or both breasts due to cancer or other diseases. Our surgeons are experienced in all methods that attempt to restore a breast to near-normal appearance.

Your Options

• Implant Reconstruction
  Implant reconstruction combines the technique of skin expansion with subsequent insertion of a permanent implant. After the general surgeon removes the breast tissue, your University Hospitals plastic surgeon places a breast implant where the breast tissue was removed to form the breast contour.
• Tissue Flap Reconstruction
  A second type of breast reconstruction, tissue flap reconstruction, involves creation of the breast mound using the patient’s own tissue. The tissue remains healthy because it maintains its own blood supply. The two most common types of tissue flap surgeries are the TRAM flap (transverse rectus abdominis muscle flap), which uses tissue from the abdomen, and the latissimus dorsi flap, which uses tissue from the upper back.
• DIEP Reconstruction.
  A newer type of flap procedure, the DIEP flap (deep inferior epigastric perforator), uses fat and skin from the same area as the TRAM flap procedure but forms the breast mound without transferring the muscle tissue. This procedure does not weaken the abdominal wall and decreases the chance of bulging and hernia formation. University Hospitals is one of only a few surgical teams in the Midwest to regularly and successfully perform DIEP flap procedures.

Breast enhancement can dramatically change the way you look and feel.

The doctors at University Hospitals have a number of options to consider if you are unhappy with the size or shape of your breasts.

Breast enhancement is a rapidly growing area of cosmetic plastic surgery and encompasses several procedures, including breast augmentation, breast lift and breast reduction. In some cases, breast reduction may be covered by health insurance if it is performed for medical reasons, such as neck or back pain.

The doctors at the University Hospitals Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery understand that the decision to have breast enhancement surgery can be complicated. We want to help you through the decision process by providing you with options for your unique situation.

Services Offered:

• Breast Augmentation
  Breast augmentation, sometimes referred to as breast enlargement, gives you a variety of individualized options for changing the size and shape of your breasts with the use of implants.
• Breast Lift
  Quite often, aging and pregnancies lead to sagging of the breasts. Breast lifts raise and reshape the breasts for a more youthful, firmer appearance. This procedure can be done with or without implants, and at times, breast augmentation is performed at the same time as a breast lift.

The best candidates for breast reduction are women whose oversized breasts cause physical discomfort, skin irritation and difficulty performing daily activities. A breast reduction removes excess breast fat, tissue and skin to create a better proportion between the chest and overall body shape and to decrease problems with activities and clothing.